Save Me
by nalathescorpio
Summary: "My name is Katara, and I was kidnapped and turned into one of the Fire Lord's whores. This is my story." THIS IS A ZUTARA FANFICTION. No Kataang here. (not sorry). This is your only warning, this story contains graphic and possibly triggering scenes, as well as eventual smut. Read on at your own discretion. CURRENTLY UNDER EDITING. ALL CHAPTERS WILL BE UPDATED SOON.
1. Chapter 1: Heartache and Abandonment

**Episode:** **The Awakening (Book 3 E01)**

 **A/N: This takes place when the Gaang tries to attempt a capture of a Fire Navy ship. Aang is no longer asleep, and healed, after his hit of lightning in the back by Azula. I would like to point out that unlike in the series, Katara is 18 and Zuko is 19 in this, which would also make Sokka 19.**

 **ALSO I COULDN'T WAIT SO HERE IS THE UPDATED AND COMPLETELY REWRITTEN FIRST CHAPTER. As I start uploading the rest, you'll notice the plot stays the same but it is written a lot better with some new scenes and people and POVs. So I advise that even if you already read this through, read it again. (: More chapters will be posted soon. This is like my sneak peek to you. (:**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1**

After successfully faking the Avatar's death, the Gaang needed to infiltrate a Fire Nation territory using the smarter path of hijacking one of their ships. There was no safer way to enter the well-protected nation than pretending to be one of them, after all. They were known to be fugitives to almost everyone in this foreign land, so really there was no easy way, only safer.

The Duke and Pipsqueak remained on Appa as they flew above, leaving Aang, Sokka, Hakoda, Toph, Katara, and Bato to land on the ship. Their landings weren't very quiet due to falling several feet until reaching the deck, which alerted several guards nearby and below. About seven men gathered up on the top level of the boat, not expecting the most wanted people in the world to be standing in wait for them. It was war the moment they had stepped foot on that ship.

The Gaang fought hard, as always, all using their bending and non-bender fighting skills. The fight didn't last long, but it left most everyone worn out after spending their all. But it was their mistake; underestimating the Fire Nation's abilities in being smart enough to contact a nearby ship. Another ship docked on the side and threw wood bridges over to the edge and ran across. Everything grew overwhelming for them all real quick, Katara in particular. Many of the men left the others to surround her into a corner. Katara hadn't known why, and no one else had noticed. With the mass of men and women surrounding her, her friends couldn't be seen through the dense amounts of clanking armor on all sides. Her water source was becoming scarce, and she started to use her own sweat to water whip a few of the men to send them flying. Katara tried to clear out a path so to be not stuck in a corner with the obvious disadvantage.

Just as a clear way out was created, a Fire Nation guard grabbed hold of her wrist and whipped her back to them. The pull and force of yanking her back caused an imbalance in her body, to which she collapsed onto the floor beneath them. Her kicks and scream filled with profanities didn't phase them one bit. The men were hysterical as this went on, and they grabbed both of her wrists and bound them together using warmed metal which sent shooting pain up her arms and into her shoulder. A man picked her up from the ground, and Katara attempt to writhe until eventually falling to the ground. Her kicks and cries influenced the chuckles from the people surrounding; laughter at her helplessness. They picked her up and started carrying her away from her friends

Sokka was the only one in audible distance who could hear Katara's screams drifting away from everyone. He ran from the fight to a group of men he saw trying to carry her away. He caught up quickly and was hit hard with a blunt to the head which sent him to his back. The wind crept from his lungs as he saw stars in his eyes. He tried to get up quickly and stumbled a bit before regaining his balance. His vision felt bright and his head was spinning.

"Katara!" He couldn't find where she had gone and continued to scream her name. Sokka ran to the edge of their ship as the other just started moving away from their own. His knees buckled in and his weight fell hard onto the ground. He held his head in his hands, feeling defeated. Everyone who had finished the fight started to walk over to him, not realizing what was exactly going on. Sokka cursed and cried out that he lost his sister to Fire Nation. Just like his mom.

"We'll find you Katara, I promise.." His words faded out as his voice felt caught in his throat. Sokka stood up quickly and ran to the wheel of the ship, hoping to direct the ship to follow the one Katara was on. Everyone stood outside of the windowed room staring at him with sadness in their eyes.

"Why isn't anyone doing anything?" Sokka yelled at his friends. He slammed his calloused hands against the wheel out of rage. Bato came up from behind him and rested his hand on Sokka's shoulder.

"We'll find her Sokka, but there are too many Fire Nation men on that ship, we would all be overwhelmed and possibly killed." Sokka nodded and fell back from the steering wheel. He looked out through his tear-soaked eyes to see his dad crying and hitting the side railing, leaving large dents behind.

He lost her.

Everyone but Hakoda, Sokka, and Bato realized they had also lost Aang as well.

* * *

I wasn't sure how many days I had been stuck on the ship. After day seven I stopped counting, accepting my impending doom. I was always stuck in my room, never allowed to step out into the fresh air to breathe in the smell of the comforting ocean waves. Everything I would need was already in here, unincluding the food they occasionally slipped underneath the door. Almost every night I had dreams of my friends, and was reminded of the good memories that I would always hold close to me no matter what happened. After day 5, my body became numb and my tears wouldn't come out anymore. I felt nothing, nor did I do anything other than sleep and stare off, dreaming of a place away from here.

On this particular night, I dreamt of my first agonizing night here, leaving me in more distress over seeing this bad memory.

 _The same man who had originally cuffed me had shoved me into a barely lit room. My hands caught the weight of my body before my head hit the cold ground. He shut and locked the door immediately behind me as I cursed at him under my breath. I ran back towards the door, and tried to pry it open with my weak fingers, to no avail. I was trapped and there was nothing to be done about it._

 _I walked to the back and fell onto the rock hard bed. My head fell into my hands as I sobbed silently. I curled my knees into my chest and held them close. At this point, I was terrified. Not knowing why they kidnapped me and what waited for me beyond this room had me feeling anxious and scared. This was a nightmare I never thought I would ever go through myself; a nightmare I had never been able to even fathom. These feelings which stirred inside of me for were unfamiliar and unwelcomed._

 _I heard a chuckle from the far back corner of the room which startled me. I sat up looking in the direction of which the sound emitted from. My eyes couldn't make out much with it being so dark in that corner, only the small shape of a person. This person walked out from their hidden place in the shadows, and who it was caught me by complete surprise._

 _One of the few people I despised more than anything appeared holding an evil grin on their face._

" _I wouldn't waste your energy crying. It makes you weak, and it will only cause you more pain by the time we get off this ship. However, continue if you like. Hearing your cries is a delightful sound to my ears." Azula. The psychotic Fire Nation Princess who was hated by everyone who crossed paths with her. The Fire Lord's most trusted loyal daughter and servant. Without even have seen her, I could point out her vile and mocking voice anywhere._

 _I stepped away from the bed, prepared to attack, only to remember that my wrists were bound so tightly. She took my place on the bed and rested her hands on her now-crossed legs._

" _What do you want from me?" I growled at the deviously-smiling princess. She laughed at me and then sighed._

" _Is that really how you should treat your captor?" Azula scanned her nails as she spoke, "Why he wants you, I don't really know. There are thousands of available and rebellious girls. But anyways, I don't care for you in the slightest; I want nothing to do with you. It's my father who has need for you. I actually came here in search of you, but what luck did I have also finding the Avatar_ _ **alive**_ _. It was quite a surprise for everyone."_

 _My eyes widened and I stood in shock. They weren't supposed to know he was alive. They had captured Aang, my one big hope of finding a way out of here. I attempted to lunge at her, but failed. She grabbed me & spun me around, holding me in a choke hold. _

" _Why does he want me of all people?" I snarled at her, feeling defeated._

" _Because Father needs a new harem girl. He's gotten, well, tired of the other ones. He's bored; they enjoy it too much. But with you, you're a rebel, and have fight in you."_

 _Azula laughed and then released me from her grip, tossing me forward. She walked towards the door and smirked at me as she knocked and waited for it to open._

" _I'm going to take a little trip to see the Avatar. When we arrive you will be taken to the harem. And for giving me attitude, Father will have a special punishment waiting for you." With that, she left, finally._

 _As I stood there feeling helpless, someone entered the room immediately after she had shut the door. I backed away quickly when a man shoved his way in. He walked to me as I shook nervously, and proceeded to melt the metal from my wrists. The pain was extravagantly unpleasant and I yelped out loud. He cackled at me. I held my wrists up and saw blisters were beginning to form, and my skin looked raw and broken._

 _He took me by surprise and shoved me back against the bed. His eyes held no anger, no sadness, nor happiness, but hunger in it's crazed form. He knew he would get what he wanted, and began to strip the armor from his body as I laid there completely frozen._

 _I knew exactly what was about to happen, and I tried to escape his reach and dodge his rugged hands. However, he yanked my arm back and I was forced down onto the bed. He climbed on top of me and held me down with an incredible strength. I tried to squirm underneath him to no resolve._

 _He leaned forward and whispered into my ear, "If you continue to fight me, I will hurt you even worse." Panic had overwhelmed my mind completely, but I couldn't just sit there and do nothing. I lifted my head and bit his ear, ripping some skin off. He whipped his head away from me quickly and smacked me as a growl escaped his chapped lips._

" _How dare you treat me with such disrespect!" The man was now enraged, and began to fuel fire in his palm. He grabbed my arm and held his palm against my . Searing pain flooded through me and I screamed in agony. I started to shake violently, barely able to hold in my cries. He finally stopped, and I knew then and there I was powerless to whatever was about to happen. He ripped off my water tribe clothing and threw it the ground._

 _The man started to kiss down my jawline._

* * *

 _When he was finished with me, he gathered his armor and covered his body again with the dark red and grey metal. He grabbed my clothes, letting me know that I wouldn't be needing them from here on out._

 _I felt like I couldn't move, and I was stuck where I was; paralyzed. There wasn't anymore more pain or fear hiding in my mind, I felt nothing but the sense of being numb. Every part of me was so sore and I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. All I wanted to do was wash my body clean of the feel of his touch, and cleanse my body of the smell which wreaked of him. Tears started to drain down my already tear-soaked face, and I just wanted to be home. Not even that, I wanted to die. What I felt was unbearable. My mind felt stunned by what happened, yet was racing with what felt like never-ending suicidal thoughts. But I couldn't do that. Not just yet. Not when my family could be trying to rescue me at this very moment._

* * *

It had been a month since I had been put on this ship. Or at least, that's what it had felt like as time went by so slowly. Today was the day that we finally docked onto Fire Nation land. Still, I had no clothes to wear since the guard had taken them away on my first day. My body was tired and worn out, more than it had ever been before. At least every day there was a minimum of one man or women that would come into the room and hurt me. It eventually reached the point, after about a week, where I was so exhausted both mentally and physically, that I didn't cry or scream, and I didn't bother to fight. Fighting would only cause them to hurt me more, and I didn't need more pain than I was already going through. I couldn't remember the last time I had smiled. What little hope I had hardly remained. My mind felt frozen.

I was greeted by a guard standing in the doorway. "Come with me." I got up from my bed without saying a word and followed him out. The feeling being naked didn't phase me anymore, almost everyone had seen me. What was once sacred, now felt like a public amenity.

Three men walked in front of me, as well as two following on my rear. They escorted me off the ship and onto land. I missed the feeling of not constantly being in motion, and standing still. I took a moment to stop walking, and felt the hard ground beneath my toes; I relished in it. The feeling of standing still, with the wind whipping through my hair, and the smell of food ahead was ravishing. The moment didn't last long, as one of the guards shoved me forward to keep moving.

Every passerby that I walked by stared at me. I felt humiliation at my beaten and broken body. The stares crept into my spine as I felt every eye of the people we passed watched me. Some snickered and whispered to whoever stood beside them, while others looked at me with a grim face, feeling empathy towards me. If they only knew I was Water Tribe, maybe those feeling grief for me wouldn't be feeling that way.

After several minutes of walking, we arrived at the steps of the palace, finally reaching our destination. Walking made me more weak than I already felt. My legs were sore and tired, anything looked comfortable to lay on at this point. We made our way to what I assumed was the throne room. As I walked by, I looked over to make brief eye contact with Zuko. He looked me up and down and his eyes held melancholy heavily. His look grew into what I thought could've been anger, but I wasn't sure.

"Cancel tonight's meeting, I'm going to be having a banquet with my daughter who has returned home." The Fire Lord's voice echoed throughout the mostly empty room, and bounced off of every wall. He shooed away whoever he'd been talking to and then looked directly into my eyes.

"You caught her." His voice held a sinister excitement, and he eyed my body up and down.

"She wasn't that hard to catch, Lord Ozai. Did you expect any less of me?" Azula bowed her head before she spoke and held a nasty smile on her elated face. With the looks the Ozai was giving me, I knew he already had dirty ideas of what would be done with me. "I am also pleased to tell you that we found and captured the Avatar as well." Ozai sat up straight in his seat, growing even more eager as two guards were dragging Aang's lifeless-looking body forward.

I couldn't bare to see my friend so beaten and hurt. He had dried and fresh blood all over his body. Instead, I stared at my tan feet against the red flooring, trying to place my mind into a better place.

"Take her to the harem, and make sure to let that old women know that she is mine. Nobody is allowed to make use of her until I have had her." With that, the guards started to lead me out of the room, just as I heard Zuko speak up from in front of me.

"Father, wait!" He walked forward with urgency, and a look of determination written all over him. His fists were balled and he now stood still. "Let me have her." I was shocked.

I stared at my tan feet compared to the red flooring.

"Let us talk and we will see." The guards continued to drag me out of the room and to the harem. _Great. Now Zuko wants to use me._

* * *

"Pama, this is the Fire Lord's new toy. There are strict orders for no one else to have her but him, until after he's done with her." Pama was a very old woman, and she held a disgusted frown. Her wrinkles shaped her face so well, you could tell this woman hadn't known happiness in a long while. She had what you would call, a permanent resting bitch face. She pulled me in the room quickly and nodded to the guards they could leave. The door slammed shut and Pama let out an exasperated groan. A vast room surrounded me and giggling girls stood around, old makeup covered with fresh makeup covered each one of their faces. Some of them could be seen sweeping and cleaning, while others stood in front of mirrors admiring themselves. They didn't wear much clothing on their bodies, and you could tell they enjoyed what they did. Surprisingly, they all looked like they were fed and taken care of well. Though some had bruises and scars almost covering their bodies. In the corner of the room were lots of pillows covering the ground, and it looked so comfortable.

"Great, another one. Just another selfish little girl." Pama grabbed me by the arm and pulled me in front of all the girls. "This is the Fire Lord's girl. Make her look somewhat decent and pretty, and share your clothes with her until I can grab extra ones in town today." This old woman was so mean for her being _so_ old. Her grip released my arm and she walked away into another room.

"She's so hideous. Who would want her?" Did they get pride out of shaming other girls? I knew that I was beautiful, I didn't need reassurance from anyone, nor did I need this negativity after everything I'd been through. I was utterly shocked at how these girls strived to look nice for the people who wanted them. I couldn't imagine living my life to have sex with men and women.

Ignoring the horrid comments, I walked forward through them to go and sit down, when one of the girls next to me placed her foot in front of me, which sent me straight to the ground. Thankfully, my hands caught me, and I stayed for a minute, trying to push past the thought of going against them. Causing trouble could mean more trouble for me, and I held my tongue. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see a girl staring down at me. She offered her hand, and pulled me up from the ground, shooting a glare towards the other girls. She tugged me along to a different room, and then shut a curtain behind us. I stood there confused as she walked through a doorway which led into a bathing room. I heard the sound of running water and entered the room and watched her heat up the water as it came out. Steam developed and rose to the ceiling as she did this.

"Let's get you all cleaned up." Her voice was calm and soothing, and she was definitely one of the nicest people I'd come across since being taken. I nodded, blinking quickly to hold back tears which suddenly arose from nowhere.

As soon as I dipped my legs into the almost scalding water, the stress floated away from my body. Everything which had been bothering me was put away, and I let my shoulders relax as I slid into the water. The water touched my chin, and I laid there in bliss. I could feel the sting on some of my cuts, and I didn't let the pain affect my enjoyment. The hot water subdued all the depression which engrossed my mind, and was slowly fading away into nothingness.

I looked to my left a saw a washcloth and saw her picking up a washcloth as she approached me. "That's okay, let me." She nodded and handed it over to me. I plunged it into the water, and started rubbing it softly along my skin. The dirt and grime could be seen coming off and blending in with the water around it. The girl sat on the side of the tub with her knees curled into her chest.

"My name's Yue, by the way." _Yue_ , I recognized that name. It belonged to Sokka's first love who now resided with the moon. "Ignore the girls out there, they are the 'harem whores' that everyone talks about. Don't bother listening to anything they try to tell you. When the men come in here to choose someone, the more disgusting you look, the less they will want you, unless you enjoy it." I shook my head.

"I think I'm safe. I'm the Fire Lord's girl." I spoke with an unpleasantness to my voice. Yue sat their almost horrified.

"I am so sorry." Her words were sincere. "Even the other girls here don't want to sleep with him. He hurts girls, badly. My friend Min once got chosen by him, and she returned with a fat lip, blistered wrists and ankles, and had a deep gash along her spine which was bleeding badly. It was so awful they had to carry her back to us. She ended up passing away, as the wound was so deep and gruesome. We all thought she had taken a knife to the back." Shock wasn't even close to how I felt right now. If I thought the people on the ship were bad, this was worse. He only wanted me for one time, probably because he knew I wouldn't survive it. I feared for my life now more than ever. Hopefully Zuko had changed his mind though, since he did want me now.

"Does Zuko ever come in here for girls?" I tried to push the thought of Ozai out of my mind. Yue shook her head, which had me feeling somewhat relieved.

"Never." Now all I had to hope for was that he would get me instead. If he never came in here for girls normally, I did question what he was planning. "Let's get some clothes on you."

Yue left the room, and I finished getting all the dirt off of my body. I also tried to comb through my hair with a comb sitting beside the tub. When she returned, she was holding a blazing red top, and a short red skirt which looked like too well of a fit.

"Sorry, we don't really have clothes in here that are decent. This the least provocative outfit we have." What she wore was just about as appropriate as mine was. I also realized she hadn't given me any undergarment, which I shouldn't have expected. Why would they give undergarments to whores who would be removing them anyways?


	2. Chapter 2: A Change in Tides

**I present to you, the very long-awaited, UPDATED Chapter 2! I apologize for it being so long. I recently got out of a very abusive relationship about 8 months ago and have finally started to feel like myself again, after almost 2 years. I have been taking the months to really heal and deal with some ptsd. I hope this is worth your wait and ,again, I encourage you to re-read through the chapters once all updated since there are somethings changing. xoxo**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2**

After I got everything put on me correctly, Yue and I were sitting in the other room behind the curtain from everyone else.

"So how did you end up here?" Yue looked at me, discomfort written in her eyes. I saw through the pain, and saw the girl who was heartbroken and faced so much tragedy.

"It definitely isn't a small story where a girl's father sells her to the harem to earn money. Growing up, I always had a sense of how vile the Fire Nation was, even though my family was rather high up in society. They believed this Nation to be great and powerful, but I'd always seen through that smoke screen. Even knowing how evil they truly were, I never expected them to be so heartless." She paused for a second, and looked like she was living through the memory all over again. "My family and I were having dinner when five Fire Nation men barged into our home. They arrived telling us that the Fire Lord needed more young girls in the harem since he was running low. They demanded that I should go with them willingly, or else they would make me. My mother attempted to refuse, while my father cowered behind the chair from another guard. He was weak, and he stood there, and he did nothing. My brother and sister were huddled around my mom, absolutely scared to death. A guard had struck my mom and gripped my arm to pull me away. As they pulled me away, my mother grew a different look in her eye. The only thing she cared about was that they took the oldest, and she had two other children. I could see that she was happy they were safe.

I was able to break free of the man's grasp after being taken by surprise, and I dove away dodging another guard. I ran towards a wooden chair in the back of the room and held it above my head, ready to hit whoever tried to come near because I wasn't going to leave without a fight. But as I looked around the room, I noticed one of the guards had grabbed my brother, and was holding a knife to his neck. He told me to drop the chair and go with them peacefully. I took a second for thought, considering he could be bluffing. Until he wasn't.

That one second too long of thinking costed my brother his life. The guard slit his throat easily, like butter, and he fell to the ground. The chair fell from my hands, and my stomach dropped. All of the dinner I had eaten previously came right back up, and I threw up on the ground. His blood soaked the wooden floors as it grew into a puddle. It just kept getting bigger and bigger. He left out a few muffled sounds as he choked on his blood, until his body finally gave up. My mom's screams ripped open the silence which laid on all of us. She ran over to his body and pulled him into her arms.

She called me a monster, and told me to never come home. I had betrayed her, and therefore been disowned. All in the matter of that one second, because I made a decision too late. My sister and father stood there, stunned at the sight before them, and I was taken from my home. I went with no fight, but I felt like I couldn't walk or breathe. They dragged me away and as they pulled me along, one of the guards shot a few fireballs at the house, and it instantly caught flame. I tried to scream at them to get out, just as my little sister's face appeared in the window. I looked back again, and could see my bloody feet were being dragged across the rocky ground. My sister was no longer in the window, and I never saw my family again. They put me on a ship and I was brought here; never been out since. My decision costed my family their lives, and I feel like I do deserve to be here, and that I don't deserve happiness. But other times I just would rather be anywhere but here, seeing how they didn't so much as care when I left."

Yue stopped and looked up at the ceiling. Tears were starting to form, but she held them back. She was a strong girl, and I knew her family dying wasn't her fault in anyway. The Fire Nation are awful people, and I felt like they probably would've done it anyways with how quick they were to take such actions in the first place. I wanted to console her, and help her feel better. But it was hard to comfort others when you yourself are in a similar predicament.

"I'm so sorry Yue." My apology was sincere, and I laid my hand on her shoulder. "The Fire Nation took my mother from me when I was young, after a raid in my tribe. They thought she was the last waterbender, so they took her and she ended up getting murdered. In reality, she never really was, because I had also been a waterbender. She saved my life. But I ended up here after I was kidnapped, as was one of my friends, Aang." I looked away to the ground, my mind felt lost.

Yue let out a surprised gasp, "Isn't Aang the Avatar?" I nodded. "So I don't really have any chance of getting out of here then." She sat back feeling defeated. I felt as if I might've taken away whatever little hope she had remaining.

"I will get us out of here Yue, I promise." My attempt to reassure her seemed to bring back a little hope, but I still felt bad. Honestly, I didn't know if even I would be getting out of here, but I had to have hope. It was the only thing I had left.

We were interrupted by Pama yelling at everyone to 'get their asses out there'. I didn't understand what was happening, but I knew I would find out real quick. Yue told me that we had to go out there and stand in a line, waiting to get chosen, if we even got picked. She directed me where to stand in the line, and I found several guards standing in here already. They were eager to take one of us with them, and looked at every one of us with a hunger.

One of the men made eye contact with a girl who fluttered her lashes and stood in a provocative way, she was one of the girls whom made fun of me earlier.

The man grinned, "I choose her." Then the girl stepped out of the line and walked to another room, which I assumed was to get ready.

"She is Lynn." Pama spoke up, replying to the guard. Before he left, he went up to Pama and told her to have Lynn put on something that showed off more of her body. Pama shouted for Lynn to come back and relayed the message, Lynn seemed to be excited and she could barely contain herself. She ran back into the other room and started to change, earning watchful eyes from the men who could see around the corner.

Just about as soon as this all had started, there were three of us left. Yue and I stood by each other and held hands hidden from the final man in front of us. I prayed to whatever spirits were out there, that they would protect Yue. Another girl stood next to us, and she seemed almost worried about whether or not she would get chosen. The man continued to look between the three of us, and I felt sickened. He seemed unable to decide which girl he really wanted; conflicted. The suspense of the situation was agitating, yet he seemed to be eyeing the other girl more than Yue and I. I knew that I couldn't be 'picked' with being the Fire Lord's girl. So I was out here more for support of Yue than anything. Yet I still worried for the both of us.

"I choose her." His arm lengthened as he pointed and grinned. The girl next to us made a 'hmph' noise and glared at the two of us. She really wanted to be picked to do this. But my heart hurt as I realized who he had picked.

"That is," Pama paused to think what exactly the name was, "Yue." With that, the man nodded seemingly content with his pick. He winked at Yue as he turned on his heel to leave. I wished that I had something in my power that I could do to prevent Yue from having to go with this repulsive man.

We walked away, back behind the curtain, and I knew I couldn't just do nothing. So I embraced her. I pulled Yue to me and held onto her tightly. At first, she didn't seem to know how to respond, and then started to return the hug once she realized what was happening. Yue let out a small weeping sound as she accepted the touch. I knew that she probably hadn't been given any type of physical touch, that wasn't from another man using her, since she had been brought here. A smile crept onto my lips, forming from the corner of my mouth. My face was tucked into her short black hair, and I almost felt suffocated. But she needed this, and so did I. I felt I had a friend here, someone who saw things like I did.

"Thank you for listening, and the hug." Yue said. I nodded into her shoulder and released her.

"Of course." She had a small smile on her face, and she seemed happy. If one looked close enough, you would see how much Yue I was really trying to hold herself together.

"You're the first person I've told my story to since arriving here. Thank you for making me feel like a real person, it felt nice being able to talk about it, finally. So seriously, thank you." Her eyes glistened. "I have to leave now, but before I go, what is your name, Water Tribe?"

"Katara." I answered back.

"Pretty, just like you." She smiled and then turned to leave. She seemed younger than me, maybe like a couple years. But I knew she was wise beyond her years. I fell back into the soft cushions underneath me, and snuggled into them. For a brief moment, I felt happiness, before drifting off the sleep. This was the first night of sleep I wouldn't have to fall asleep feeling alone or scared someone might take me.

* * *

"Wake up!" My mind slipped out of a dream as I was startled by a voice.

"Sokka, stop." I moaned out, grumpy I had been woken up. I tried to shove him away and rolled back over.

"I don't know who Sokka is but you need to get your ass up. Besides, if you're not chosen you should be cleaning like Ayako over here." I opened my eyes and felt disoriented. _Where was Sokka?_ Then I remembered where I was. At least I wasn't waking up on that dreaded ship. Above me stood a hunched over and angry Pama. I got up quickly while rubbing the sleep from my eyes. She was really not happy.

"I understand that you're the Fire Lord's girl, but this man refuses to listen to me. He will have both our heads if you don't go with him. If the Fire Lord ever hears about this, I will make sure he gets to you before me." I didn't feel very threatened by this woman, and I knew I could take her on even with how weak I already was. But the man however, that was another story. I could try, but he was stronger than me. Unfortunately I couldn't bend either since being on the ship they had given me these herbs which block my bending. I assumed they would still be in my system for the next 48 hours minimum.

Pama yanked on my arm, beckoning for to me follow behind her. The man stood there looking impatient, waiting by the door. His eyes lit up when he saw me enter the room.

"This is her?" Pama asked. He nodded, then smiled as he bit his lip looking me up and down in approval. Poor Ayako would be alone with this ridiculous old woman.

"We have another girl here if you wanted. This one doesn't know how to please a man, she's as stupid as a rock. Ayako over here could give you what you wanted." _Stupid_ , I scoffed in my mind. I definitely was far from it. This lady knew nothing about me, so I didn't take it to heart. Ayako, I assumed, moved closer in the room, in attempts to get picked instead. Even though Pama tried to change his mind, he seemed set in what he wanted. In fact, he seemed more angry at her statement. She grew frightened as the man leaned forward and backhanded her, leaving a red mark behind.

"Do not question me again, old woman. You're say means nothing to me." Pama cowered away from him, trying to protect her head in case he hit her again. This sparked a rage in me. Even if Pama was a rude old woman, she didn't do anything to deserve being hit, not that anyone deserves to be hit.

"Don't hit her." I glared at him and stood my ground. He didn't scare me, even though I knew he could take me on. He laughed at me, seemingly amused by me trying to stand up to him.

"I see you are correct when you say she doesn't know how to treat a man and is very stupid. But that will change tonight, she will know after I am done with her." He gave me one last good look up and down. He also seemed to be rubbing himself, which was sick and immature. "And what is her name?" He looked back at Pama. She looked to me, gesturing with her eyes to speak up. I sighed and refused to look him in the eye.

"Katara." His hand came up and grabbed my face, pulling it up to look at him. Although I still looked any other direction but him. He huffed and then let me go, leaving my jaw feeling a little sore from his tight grip.

"You know where my room is, I want her there in no more than 15 minutes." He was aggressive, sick, and demanding. A perfect man to serve the Fire Lord from what I could see. When he finally left, I turned around to see Pama fixing herself up and standing up as straight as her hunchback would let her.

"Don't forget what I will do to you if word gets around about this." She spoke with a menacing tone, but I was unfazed.

"Stop threatening me. Where is his room at?" I didn't mean to be so harsh with my words, but Pama grew fearful of me as I stood over her. A little part of me felt sorry for her, and I wondered how she possibly could have ended up here.

She gave me the directions to his room and I left. Even if I died trying, I was not going to let this man just take me. I was surprised they would let me out by myself since I could easily try and escape. But I guess I wouldn't have much luck with how many people probably stood around in watch who worked for Ozai.

When I arrived at his room, I followed the 'knock code' Pama told me to use. He opened the door quickly and pulled me in. Before I could even get a word out, he hit me in special points of my body, just what Ty Lee would do to block bending and paralyze us. I fell straight to the floor, unable to feel or control the muscles in my body. I didn't even have a chance at trying to fight this man off. He picked me up and tossed me onto the bed, landing me on my back.

"Today you are going to learn how to please a man. Then maybe you'll be ready for Fire Lord Ozai." He started to rip off my few articles of clothing, and then got up from the bed. I wanted to scream and cry for help. But it would be no use anyways, it's not like anyone here would save me. He stripped off the clothing they wore underneath their armor, and threw it to the floor. The man really didn't want to wait, and before I could blink, he was on top of me. His weight was heavy, and I almost felt like I couldn't breathe as I sunk further into the bed. He started to suck and bite on my skin, leaving bruises and teeth marks behind, scattered across me. In my head, I was crying and I started to feel that same feeling you get when you are claustrophobic. That helpless and panic-y feeling. Tears fell from my eyes, and I didn't bother to hold them back. I held my lips shut to hold in my cries.

He slapped me a few times, attempts to hurt me I presumed. Every hit he made felt worse than the last. When he finally brought his hands to grab my face, I realized why. He had some kind of sharp metal in his hand, and I saw bits of blood along my body where he'd hit me. As he grabbed my face, he growled and held my shoulders down so I couldn't move away from him when I started to gain feeling. His thrusts held such a force and every movement he made stung. He tried to kiss me several times and would lick my face like a dog. But as I refused to open my lips, he bit down on them hard, which drew blood immediately.

An overwhelming feeling of being light-headed began to take over, and I knew I was going to pass out. I didn't know if it was from loss of blood, or just because of how much pain I felt. As I started drifting in and out of consciousness, my eyelids grew sore and heavy, and felt like they could've have been swelling up shut. Just before I passed out, the door on the other side of the bed burst off its hinges. There was a giant blaze of fire which lit up the room immensely. I barely had enough feeling in my neck to let my head roll over to the side to see who the incomer was, expecting Fire Lord Ozai to be there. The man who raped me threw his hands up in the air as the Fire Nation Prince burned him.

"How dare you treat a woman this way!" I could hear fire and yells emitting from the man who now laid on the ground. I looked up to see Zuko kicking him into the man wept at the Prince's feet.

"Please, Prince Zuko! I didn't hurt her, those marks are from other men. I swear!" His breaths were shaky and he sounded like a coward unable to face up to his actions. Zuko looked over to me and saw what had already been done. He didn't look at my body itself, but more of glanced at the marks and looked into my eyes at _me_.

"I didn't come soon enough." He spoke with sadness. Whatever mark left on my body seemed to fuel his oncoming rage, and Zuko threw his arms up as he blasted fire at the man. His screams turned to moans, which dulled into a silent nothingness as his ash scattered the ground. Zuko didn't wait a second longer before racing over to me. He noticed my clothes were torn up as he picked my top up from the ground, and then decided to wrap me up with the blanket underneath me instead. He picked me up from the bed, one hand holding my shoulders, while the other gripped underneath the pits of my knees. Zuko held me against his warm chest.

"I am so sorry, Katara." He didn't seem to have much words to say as he looked into my swollen eyes. Adrenaline and shock were coursing through my body, which prevented me from feeling much of the pain, thankfully. Zuko started walking out of the room, just as a servant approached us.

"Don't go in there. Ask someone who can handle a bloody mess to clean up whatever is left in there."

The woman gulped and nodded as she recited, " _Yes, Prince Zuko_." Just as every other slave did in this goddamn place. He didn't waste time as he burst into a run to wherever he was going to take me. The sharpness of the cold air hit every cut on my face, and I tried to curl my head more into his chest.

Zuko made one stop before we got to where he was taking me. After only a couple minutes, we arrived in a room, which I assumed belonged to Zuko. He didn't bother to shut the door as he ran me over to the bed and laid me down carefully. The Fire Prince tucked me into the blanket some more to keep me warm before he ran off. I could hear things dropping, clanking of metal, and then the sound of running water. I tried to look around, although I still wasn't able to move too much. My mind felt heavily disoriented, but I was still able to make clear of my surroundings. The room was mostly dark, with two flames lit up beside his bed, and one across the room by the door we had come through. It was a large, very nice, and well-kept room. So I knew that we had to be in Zuko's quarters.

My thoughts became distracted with the items which filled the room, I hardly noticed when Zuko was once against sitting beside me and setting down a tray with some tools on it. He set a large candle next to the bed where my head rested. I grew tense as I thought he might be about to do worse things to me.

"Don't worry," he brought his hand up to reassure me. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. You have several wounds on your body that I need to get closed up or they could get infected, or you could bleed out." He spoke calmly, yet with a small amount of urgency in his voice. I looked into his golden eyes, which were lit up perfectly by the flames in the room. A water bender's eyes looked the color of a calm turquoise water, I had never really seen a fire bender's before, though. With the flames rays dancing around the room, his eyes were blazed like two small suns waiting to erupt with it's light. They seemed to burst with more than just darkness and destruction, as everyone knew fire bender's to be. His held anger, but deep inside was a light just waiting to be cast out; Zuko's true self. It was mesmerizing as I laid on the bed feeling groggy.

"Here, drink this." He brought a metal cup up to my lips, which had some sort of liquid in it. The smell of it was awful, and I turned my head away from him. "It's okay, this will help." He pushed the cup forward in the hopes I would drink it willingly. I never broke eye contact with him as I did so. The taste was horrid. It had this raw and heavy taste to it. It felt warm going down my throat. After downing about half of it, I started to feel a bit, drowsy. I wasn't completely sure as I had never known this feeling. My body felt lighter, and it did make me feel good. He pulled the cup away from my lips and set it beside the bed.

"What is this?" I wiped the few drops left on my lips away. I definitely didn't want anymore. My stomach felt it might regurgitate it all back out.

Zuko smirked and chuckled a bit before answering, "It was liquor." I knew what that was. The men in my tribe would sometimes drink this and sing songs by a fire. They would dance around, and I remembered how they acted much differently than their normal warrior-selves.

"It will help with the pain. I'm going to give you some herbs to chew and suck on as well, which should help just as much as the liquor. But don't swallow them." I accepted the herbs in my mouth, and these didn't taste bad like the liquor did. They overpowered the previous taste and reminded me of the herbs I had tasted in tea one time. As I did this, I watched Zuko take a needle and dip it into the same drink a few times, and then heated it up with his hand. He did the same with the string he held in the other, I assumed it was to clean them so I wouldn't get an infection. Then he took a small washcloth and dipped it into some boiled water, and proceeded to wipe the blood away from around my cuts. From what I felt, I had one on my left cheek, and in the left side of my waist. He then held the cloth against the wound on my side as he brought his hand to my mouth.

"Spit it out." I spit the herbs into his hands and he tossed them onto the tray. "Okay, I'm going to start sealing up your wounds now, and I'll start with the one down here." He lifted the cloth from the gash, and brought the needle up with string attached to the other end of it. He was right, the liquor and herbs did help a lot. As he sewed me up, I only felt the smallest tickle that I just wanted to itch at.

There was a couple minutes of silence before I started to speak up. "Are you going to use me like everyone else?" He looked up at me and bit his bottom lip as he shook his head.

"Never. Things like that are just barbaric to me. A true man should never take another woman's body as his own unless given permission to do so." My heart leaped a little as he gave me this answer. I was safe from Zuko, but I didn't know if that protected me from the Fire Lord. "Believe it or not, I've only been with someone once. Mai, a long time ago, before things got… complicated." He spoke with unsureness in his voice, like he didn't really know what happened.

"So why did you ask Ozai if you could have me?" I wanted to know the truth and why Zuko suddenly had a change of heart towards me.

"Because no matter the things I have gone through with chasing the Avatar and fighting with you, you are still a human being that doesn't deserve to have their choice taken from them. I also know what my father does to young girls like you, and I can't bare to see it happen to anyone I know. Even if we are enemies." Zuko was nothing like his father. Hearing him now made me wonder how they were even related. Azula and Ozai were the same, but Zuko was different. From what I had learned about his mom in Ba Sing Se, he seemed like he had the same kind heart that she did.

"Thank you." I spoke. It felt a little uncomfortable sitting here with someone who was an enemy outside of this place, but was here treating me like a friend. Yet it also didn't feel awkward like anyone else might've thought towards the situation. He nodded and smiled before looking back down at what he was doing.

The stitches didn't take long, and he finished both cuts quickly. I was surprised, somewhat, at how Zuko knew exactly what he was doing. But then again, Iroh was a great teacher and I wouldn't be surprised if he had taught Zuko in case he was in an emergency situation, like this one. He set everything back on the tray,and then handed me some water to drink. I could now move my arms and legs, and was able to drink by myself. So he got up with the tray, and I assumed he was putting everything back where it belonged. He grabbed something that was on the other side of the bed, then retreated to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. When he returned, he was wearing red silk pajama pants and no shirt. I never had paid attention to his chest before when I'd seen him shirtless. He had a very warm and pale tone to his soft-looking skin. On any other occasion, I would think it was attractive especially with how well-defined his muscles were. However, with our background, I tried not to notice much past that.

Zuko walked over to the door and opened it, which let in some light from outside the room. I could hear him talking to someone on the other side before briefly shutting it again. He returned by my side and sat on the other side of the bed so he was facing me.

"I trust you not to bend while you are here, but my father doesn't. So you will have to take these herbs so you can't bend as long as you are here." He handed the herbs over to me, and I recognized them instantly; they had been the same ones I'd been given on the ship. I didn't particularly enjoy having to take these again, but I understood.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. Zuko walked over to answer it, said 'thank you' to whoever it was, then came back in with what I thought could've been clothing. I sat up as he walked to my side of the bed and handed them over to me.

"I asked for some pajamas that might fit you so you could be more comfortable. If you're too weak to walk, I can just go into the bathroom for a bit so you can change in here. I shook my head and got up from the bed. At first my legs wobbled a bit, and I had to lean back onto the bed to regain my balance. Zuko also was ready to catch me if need be, but my legs figured out how to work again, and I walked to the bathroom with no problem.

The room was lit up by a couple flames. I noticed a large tub in the corner, right next to a big open window. I walked up to it and could see the sea beyond the palace. It felt comforting. I cracked the window a bit and felt a cold breeze float in through the window. I shivered as the cold air hit my naked skin, but I stood there in delight, welcoming the light of the moon on my darkened skin. As I basked in the light, a comforting feeling of peace settled over me.

When I exited the bathroom, I saw Zuko sitting on the bed reading some sort of scroll. He seemed startled as I walked over to the bed.

"Thank you for the clothes, Zuko." I spoke up, greeting the silence.

"Of course, Katara. You are welcome to sleep wherever you like. I can sleep on the sofa over there if you wanted to take the bed tonight?"" I looked over to see a long, yet small chair hiding in the corner of the room.

"I can sleep over there." I replied. I didn't want to steal his bed from him, and being away from everything in the corner felt comforting. I heard him sigh as I walked over to it and moved the pillows around to get comfortable. Zuko brought a blanket over to me and I accepted it as I pulled it over myself. I turned over, away from the light, to get comfortable and fall asleep.

I heard Zuko put out the few flames that were lit, and then get into his bed. As soon as it got silent, I started to cry. I felt somewhat guilty that I was crying, believing that I should act stronger, that I needed to to be strong. But they still came. All the events that took place today were hitting me hard here and now. Even though I had gone through similar events today, I had made a friend, and now my enemy was taking care of me and saving my life. It all hit me deeply, and I felt awful for not being able to save Yue, or give Zuko something in return for his kindness. I was still powerless and couldn't see myself getting out of here anytime soon, unless my friend's somehow over took the Fire Lord. I highly doubted it unless Aang was able to get out. The tears continued to fall out, and I tried to be as silent as possible. They stained my cheeks and fell in between my lips and left a salty taste on my tongue.

I remembered how the hug with Yue felt today, and how much it helped, not only that how much I needed it. Right now, I needed someone's touch. I didn't know if I could handle being so alone anymore.

"Katara? Are you okay?" Zuko spoke up, and I knew that he had to have heard me crying. I felt somewhat embarrassed, but I still turned over to look at him. He was sitting up in his bed, and in the moment I felt like I would go insane if I continued to sit here alone. On any other day I would've never dreamed of asking anyone, especially the Fire Nation Prince, if they could hold me, but I did anyways.

"I know this is crazy, and you don't have to. But," I paused, regretting that I started speaking in the first place. Zuko is my enemy, why would he want to help? But I continued on, "Can you hold me?" I held in my cries, even though they longed to be let out freely. Thankfully, he nodded and moved the blankets so I could join him. I was surprised he didn't mind, but also relieved I hadn't just made a complete fool of myself. I dropped the blanket from my body and ran over to his bed. He pulled me into his arms before I could even get comfortable, and held me tightly to him. His head rested against the wall, while he held me against his chest. I couldn't hold the pain back anymore, and the flood gates opened up all over him.

"I'm so sorry for all of this. I wish there was more I could do." His other hand brushed the hair out of my eyes and continued to play with strands of my hair. It relaxed me a bit, and I felt more calm. All of this crying was beginning to wipe me out and I quickly fell asleep in the arms of my presumed enemy.

* * *

 **Zuko POV**

After offering Katara my bed, I was a little displeased when she chose to sleep on the sofa. I didn't understand why she wouldn't want to sleep in a bed, after all she'd been through, when I could sleep on the sofa. Whatever made her comfortable in a situation like this made sense, however, whether I understood her choices or not. I climbed into my bed and pulled the covers over my body as I reached over and dimmed out the candle light.

My eyes were closed, and my mind was just about to drift off to sleep when I heard soft cries coming from Katara. They were small, and I had the urge to help her, yet I didn't want to disturb and possibly embarrass her. I had never really been stuck in a situation like this before, and it had me feeling empathetic. I couldn't just sit here and do nothing though, no matter how awkward I felt.

"Katara? Are you okay?" She turned to look at me, seemingly shocked that I had noticed her. As she stared over at me, she seemed as if she was contemplating something, though I wasn't sure what exactly.

"I know this is a crazy, and you don't have to. But," She paused. I waited patiently for her to get the words out. After all, my Uncle had told me before to always listen when someone needs to talk. "Can you hold me?" She finally decided what she was going to say and looked fearful for how I would respond. I definitely had not been expecting that question, but I didn't mind. Katara had been through a pretty rough time, and I knew I would maybe want the same thing from someone if I was in the same situation.

I nodded and lifted my blankets for her to join me. She got up quickly and ran over to the bed. With how she responded, she seemed urgent on getting physical touch, so I pulled her into my arms quickly to embrace her. Her head laid on my chest and I squeezed her to my body. The instant moment that her muscles began to relax, she started to cry harder than earlier. Her tears soaked my skin, but I knew she needed to let everything out.

"I'm so sorry for all of this. I wish there was more I could do." As I laid with Katara, I still felt the need to provide her with more comfort. So I lifted my hand and started to play with her hair, letting the strands flow through my fingers and fall back down. After doing this for a few minutes, her breathing shallowed, and her body relaxed more into me. Her cries turned into small moans, until eventually dissolving into snores, and I knew she had fallen asleep. My heart broke for her. I felt a pain in my chest, and all I wanted to do was make sure she was okay. This feeling was abnormal, and I didn't know what to do with it or how to handle it. It was especially weird since Katara was my estranged enemy, and the urge to hug her tighter and soothe her had me feeling so indifferent.

Deciding to slide her body off of my lap, knowing she was well asleep, I placed her tanned body next to me. My arm remained around her waist as I tried to keep some distance between our bodies. The odd feeling of wanting to be closer to her crept under my skin, but I pushed the thought away as I didn't want Katara to feel uncomfortable with my close presence. Even though she asked to be held by me, when she woke I knew her feelings might've been different towards the situation.

* * *

 **Katara POV**

As I woke the next morning, my head was pounding as I felt dazed. My body ached from my head to my toes, and I didn't want to move from where I was. I opened my eyes to find I was in a bed, and I looked around at my surroundings, curious as to where I was exactly. It didn't look like the harem, and they definitely didn't have a bed in there. The room was much nicer as well, enough to fit a royal. I sat up, so confused. The memories hit me at once, the man who raped me, Zuko saving me, taking care of me, then falling asleep in his arms.

"Oh my god." I had been dumb enough to sleep next to Zuko, the one who followed my friends and I around the world, making attempts to kidnap my best friend. He could've hurt me just as much as the other man did last night. I opened myself to him, and he could've easily taken advantage of the situation. But with how careful and protective he was of me last night, I felt like I hadn't made too much of a mistake.

I looked around me and found that Zuko was nowhere to be found. His side of the bed was cold, which told me he hadn't been next to me in some time. The blankets slid off of me easily like silk as I got up from the bed. To my right on the nightstand was a piece of paper with my name written in large at the top to grab my attention.

 _Katara,_

 _I had to be in a meeting early this morning. You seemed exhausted so I thought I should let you sleep. You can use my bathroom and everything is available for you to use. There is also a girl right outside the door. Her name is Kim, she can get you anything you need._

 _-Zuko_

Just as I finished reading the note and set it back down, I felt a pain in my side. I lifted up the shirt I was wearing and saw the stitches on my abdomen. Nothing was wrong, so I figured I must've snagged them on my shirt.

I heard the movement of water summoning me through an open window and started following the sound. In the corner of the room was a large window on both walls. It was cracked slightly, allowing me to listen to the crashing of waves against the land. I sat down and stared out the window, admiring how the water ran so smoothly along the shore. It was low tide currently, and my tie to the moon didn't feel as strong. The sun was at midpoint, so Zuko would probably be returning soon since his meeting was in the early morning. I wished so bad that I could move the water. If only I had been a bit closer, and I wasn't on these stupid herbs.

"You're up. I thought you might still be sleeping." Zuko's voice startled me from my thoughts as I whipped around quickly. He stood in front of his now closed door. His hair was up, unlike yesterday, tied neatly as he wore his small crown, and was wearing traditional Fire Nation royal robes which reached down to his feet. This look made him seem a lot older and mature than he really was, and definitely made him look a lot more like a prince.

"Yeah, I just woke up. My head hurts like crazy." I stayed where I was, just in case. Zuko started walking over to a bunch of shelves placed on the walls. His eyes were scanning for something specific, and then he found it. He pulled a jar from the wall and pulled out some type of green plant.

"Here, you should chew on this. It helps with headaches." He set the jar back onto the shelf, then walked over with his hand open to me. I picked the plant from his hand and set it in my mouth. By the taste, I knew it was passionflower.

"How was your meeting?" I leaned up against the wall as I chewed on the plant. Zuko shrugged his shoulders and started taking off layers.

"It was," he paused for a moment to think on it. "Interesting." He laid his coat on a hook, then proceeded to grab clothes and escape to the bathroom to change.


	3. Chapter 3: Embarkment

**Here is the updated Chapter 3! :)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3**

Zuko had just come out of the bathroom, and was wearing more casual clothing. "I feel deprived of sunlight. I'm going to take a walk, would you like to come?" A big grin grew on my face as I lit up. The last time I had been outside was leaving from the ship to come to the palace. I'd never really had a moment where I could take a stroll and not have to worry about anything in what felt like forever. In dark times like these, it was the littlest things that kept me from falling too far into the depression surrounding this place. Zuko smirked just as he turned around to head to the door.

"Kim, would you mind getting some suitable clothes for Katara? We are going to take a walk outside." I didn't see who Kim was before Zuko shut the door behind himself.

"Why don't you take a bath and get yourself cleaned up before we leave." He handed me a towel and opened the bathroom door for me. I was eager to rid my body of the filth of the man from last night. Feeling refreshed would help boost my happiness.

* * *

When I got out of the bath, I was careful not to pull on my stitches as I put on my clothes. Kim had brought them in and left them beside the tub. She had given me red, with a mixture of pink, Fire Nation robes. They were nice, but they weren't as luxurious as Zuko's clothes might have been. After all, I was supposed to be a harem girl. It was better than having so much skin hanging out for everyone to see. I felt proper instead of slutty. Clean instead of used.

As Zuko and I left the room, I was worried since I didn't know how I was supposed to act. I was still confused on what exactly was going on with Zuko and I. For all I know, he saved me from his Father and killed a man last night after he had raped me, so he seemed like he could be trying to save me from what lies in the harem. However, there was the chance he just wanted me for himself. When I had talked to Yue, she talked about how Zuko never claimed any girls from the harem. My mind was reeling on all the possibilities of why Zuko asked for me. He treated me like a normal human being, but he had betrayed me once before. He could do it again just as easily.

We got to a big set of two doors which opened into a vast courtyard. As the sun rays hit my face, I immediately felt the warmth I had been craving for so long. The feel of the sun on my skin made me feel like I was wrapped up in a blanket. Of course, I craved a taste of the moon more than anything, but the sun would do. Being outside made me feel alive again, like I was taking my first breath of air after almost drowning. The air was filled with the scent of cherry blossom trees, and it overwhelmed my senses. There was a light breeze, and as it hit my face it carried along with it the feeling of freedom. Of course, I wasn't actually free and I was still a prisoner. But I was allowed to walk outside without being kept bounded or humiliated.

The sounds of birds chirping were carried in the wind to my ears, and the brush of the leaves being tugged along in the grass. I noticed there was a pond in the center of the courtyard, which held turtle ducks swimming in it's shallow depths.

"Are you coming?" Zuko chuckled at me, and I realized I had been too in tune with the nature surrounding me and hadn't heard Zuko trying to move along. I tripped over my own feet as I jogged to catch up with him. He was quick to catch me by my arm as helped me to regain my balance. I smiled to thank him. He nodded back at me in understanding as we continued along, walking into the grass. I wasn't sure if I had been blushing at my clumsiness.

"Thank you for coming with me. I thought it would be nice to have you get out, that and I needed to recharge. Being kept inside all day makes my bending weaker." I knew that firebenders rose with the waking sun, but I never knew how much energy the sun provided for them. It was like a waterbender and their moon, providing strength and a type of comfort that was unknown to any non-waterbender.

"Yeah." I wanted to keep my replies short and simple. Being around Zuko had me feeling somewhat vulnerable, and my trust was guarded. Yet, I had this desire to talk to him more, as if I wanted him to know everything. I was usually very social and outgoing.

"So, I wanted to explain to you everything a bit better after last night. I want you to know that I didn't ask for you to use you. Personally, I believe using girls to be barbaric. My father and his men do believe different, obviously." We stopped walking as we neared the edge of the pond. Zuko sat down, holding out his arm to let me sit.

"I asked for you because no matter how much conflict you and I have had in the past, no one deserves to be in that harem. I understand you don't trust me, or so I assume, and I know this is really weird. But I couldn't let my father hurt you, especially after seeing you the way you looked when you first arrived." Zuko paused and started rolling around a piece of grass in between his fingers. His tone was sad, I could tell that what he was saying was true. There were no anger in his words, excluding when he was talking about me being in the harem. It surprised me how he could be so angry towards it, and that in itself was what made me really want to listen to him. I wanted to forgive Zuko for all he'd done, there was a huge part of me that believed that he could be turning to the good side. But only actions could prove my thoughts true.

"Thank you, Zuko." Zuko's face seemed grim, and it held a seriousness.

"Katara, I was thinking last night about what happened in the crystal caves when we were trapped together. I got you to trust me, and then I betrayed you. You opened up to me, and I hurt you in return." His words shocked me. The Fire Nation Prince who was born to a psychotic family actually showed signs of genuinity.

"I am trying to change for the better. I'm so sorry for what I did to you and your friends. I hate following under my father's chaotic rule. I'm not quite sure how to _be good_ , but I'm hoping that you can help me. I want to change my perspective on the world since I've been raised to believe that the Fire Nation is all powerful. They're not, and everyone is equal. But my morals are so far off from the rest of the world's." So Zuko was trying to change sides. With his wording I knew that he wasn't sure how exactly how to explain himself, but I understood.

"It's okay, Zuko. And it's not that hard to be good. A huge part of it is trying to see the positives in everything, and basically looking on the bright side. Being optimistic I know is not really something you excel in, but it comes down to realizing that no one is lesser than you." Zuko laughed, just as we were interrupted.

"Zuko, I've been looking for you." Mai stood over us, glaring down at me. Was she really jealous over me?

"I was in a meeting this morning, and I just wanted to get out." He looked up at her, and I could tell by the way he acknowledged her, he was not in love with her like some people may have thought he was. I wondered why he was even with her if he didn't care for her as he should.

"Well we need to talk. Preferably away from the whore." Really? I wasn't a whore. I could feel my rage fueling inside me, and I wanted to scream at her. Looking over at Zuko, I could see his fists were clenched, and he was biting his tongue as if he was holding something back from being said.

"Okay, we will talk." He motioned for me to leave, and so I did without saying a word. All I wanted to do was yell at Mai for calling me a whore. But I remembered that I was supposed to be Zuko's, and I had to act the part of a whore. Fighting back would only prove that I was not being used as I should, and the Fire Lord could end up taking me back. That was the last thing I wanted.

When I arrived back in Zuko's room, I collapsed onto the bed. I remained in the clothes I had changed into, and tried to go to sleep.

* * *

The sun's rays danced in my eyes as I opened them. I stretched out of the position I fell asleep in and let out a big yawn. As I sat there, I thought about how much I missed water. The feeling I got when I was surrounded in it's purity and bending it made me feel complete. I craved it's touch, and energy I felt from it. The way water moved always had me so mesmerized at it's beauty, and so I decided I should take a bath.

I got up quickly and skipped over to the bathroom. As limited as the water may be, I still wanted to relax in it's comforting warmth. As I opened the door, I unexpectedly ran into Zuko. He was laying in the bathtub with his head turned away from me. My face heated up, and I could feel my cheeks blushing a crimson red. I accidentally glanced into the water and saw his naked form. How the water droplets were settled on the skin around his broad shoulders intrigued me. Zuko's hair laid flat on his head, and I noticed how well-defined his muscles appeared to be leading from his shoulders on. I remembered how they felt being wrapped around me, and how safe I felt. Even with the current situation and relationship between us, something about it made me feel good, and I felt what others would call butterflies in the pit of my stomach. Tension grew in my body as I stood there, and only seconds had gone by when Zuko looked over as he sensed my presence. I made contact with crisp golden eyes and if I could've blushed harder, I felt like I did. I yelped as I came to my senses, which surprised the both of us.

"Oh, sorry!" I darted out of the bathroom as quickly as I had came, and slammed the door shut behind me. My heart was racing, and I felt incredibly embarrassed. A part of me enjoyed what had just happened, and I couldn't stop the feelings spreading like vines growing throughout my body. Although I was so awkward, I felt all giddy. It was unusual. When I turned around, I watched as Kim was laying clothes out on the bed. She noticed the look on my face and smiled to herself.

"Here are some clothes for you, Miss Katara." She sidestepped and folded her hands in front of her. "May I ask?" My cheeks were still flushed and I knew that she thought something happened between us. I hated lying to people.

"I just ran into Zuko a minute ago, that's all." She chuckled silently at my reply, but left it alone thankfully. The picture of Zuko taking a bath was permanently stuck in my mind. Before any of this happened, I would've been horrified. But I almost felt like I was developing a connection to him; one that wouldn't seem to fade. But I didn't have any intention of talking about it.

"Anything else, Miss Katara?" I shook my head quickly, trying to get her to leave as soon as possible. But as I did this, my stomach growled, giving another answer. So I decided to ask for something more fulfilling, to which she gladly said okay and then left. I breathed out heavily the moment she exited the room. Eyeing the clothes that were laid out nicely on the bed, I noticed they weren't very elegant, but definitely more than I expected. They looked similar to what Kim wore, but instead of a tan color, they were black with a red lining.

I listened in towards the bathroom, in case there was another surprise with Zuko and I as I started changing. As I looked over everything, I noticed that she brought me proper under wrappings; I thanked her silently. Wearing these made me feel secure, since I hadn't previously been allowed to wear them throughout my time on the ship and in the harem. I wrapped the cloth carefully around my chest, careful not to make it too tight. They felt comfortable on my body, and fit perfectly. As I started to put on the kimono, my arms felt through the sleeves until they slipped out on both open ends. The fabric was much nicer than my tribes, but still felt like fake silk; definitely not fit for a princess. I reached around and pulled my hair from the back to lay it flat on either sides of my shoulders. My hands rolled down the fabric, evening out every edged bulge. I felt like I looked nice, and I loved it.

Just as I turned around to look for a mirror, I ran into the scarred Fire Nation Prince. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on anything." He was very shy, and was nervous as he reached his hand up to itch his back awkwardly. I blushed once more, hoping he hadn't walked in on me, since he was so light on his feet.

"How long was I asleep?" I ignored his apology, trying to make the moment less uncomfortable. I took the few seconds of silence to breathe in deeply, which calmed me. When I looked back up at him, I found I was staring into his eyes again. They were teeming with an alluring warm sunrise, on the verge of unleashing its light into the awaiting world. They drew me in.

"About a full day?" Zuko took me by surprise. Had it really been a day? It felt like only a few hours ago I had left him with Mai in the gardens. "I let you sleep because I figured you really needed it. I know that I would want to sleep in if I were you." Another day now past, another day without my friends.

"Thank you."

* * *

 **SOKKA POV**

"We're here!" Hakoda's shouts echoed around from the bow of the ship. As I stood on the side of the ship, I lifted my chin and looked out to see the Fire Nation colonies living among the edges of the water. We were coming here so myself and everyone, but my dad and Bato, could stay at a 'trusted' friends' home. However, they were stupid if they thought they could leave to save my sister and Aang without me. I had previously tried arguing with Bato and my dad, begging and pleading for them to let me go with. Although they always said no, I refused to sit around in wait for them to return. I had to save my sister, there was no way I could live with myself if I failed in getting her back.

"Sokka, is everyone dressed in the proper Fire Nation attire? If anyone isn't dressed-" I stopped him mid-sentence. Whether he was the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe or not, I was angry.

"Yes, dad. I know if they're not ready, we will all be arrested. You've told me at least five times already." Hakoda's frustration and stress elevated at my tone, but then calmed himself. He knew I was only upset because of his 'final decision'. Ever since Aang and Katara had been kidnapped, I was furious with my dad and Bato. Bato I was mad at more than anything, since he influenced my dad's decision in leaving me behind. He refused to let me help in any way to save her. They planned on sneaking their way in without me, even though I was the master planner when it came to everything. Yet, even though they refused me, I still planned to get onto their ship and infiltrate the Capital of the Fire Nation. My dad nodded and then started to walk away.

As we anchored at the docks, everyone stepped off of the boat, me being the exception. I followed my plan and hid behind a large cargo box.

"You too, Sokka." I whined in reply and stepped out from my hiding place. Tears started developing in my eyes, half forced. This was my last chance to convince them into taking me w them. Finding another way to get there would take far too long, if I even got there. I stood straight up and walked over with confidence in my step. My fists were seized at my sides, and my trusty boomerang and sword remained secured on my back.

"What is so wrong in me going with you guys to save _my_ sister. She is just as important to me, and more to me than Bato. I lost her and I couldn't save her. She called for me when she was taken onto that damned ship. Not any of you, me! I couldn't save her, just like mom." My words were harsh, I knew that. But it needed to be said, and I was done playing games with them. Bato scoffed at my words, but compared to my sister, he was nothing to me. His opinion meant absolutely nothing.

"Sokka, we already talked about this. You need to understand that we have no idea what kind of state she could be in right now, whether it be badly injured, traumatized, or whatever. I don't need you risking your life, as well as your well-being, from being scarred forever. This is something serious and cannot be taken lightly. You're just not old enough." Hakoda spoke his words surprisingly calm. Bato came over and attempted to shove me along off of the ship with the others. I knew that he meant well, but I needed to stay on this ship with them. I shoved his arm away.

"I'm not getting off of this fucking ship until you say I can go with you guys." I yelled at them, and my voice started to become hoarse. "I am old enough, I am 18 for fuck's sake. I can handle it, and I want to help. I am taking this as seriously as anyone else." Tears boiled over in my eyes and I was so angry. My dad looked at me with sadness. I didn't think he had ever seen me so emotional about something.

"Let him go." Hakoda looked over to Bato. "He's good at making plans anyways. He could help us get into the Fire Nation." Bato nodded, accepting the decision. If Hakoda believed it was okay, Bato would follow through with it. I was still agitated, but elated that I could do something to help. The rest of the group was staring at us in awe of what just happened. I ignored their looks of bewilderment and looked towards Suki who was smiling shyly at me.

As we all walked together to the Fire Nation home that everyone else would be staying in, I thought about how I had to take a moment to say goodbye to Suki properly, away from wandering eyes. I slowed my pace as everyone continued walking. Suki gave me a confused look as we ended up at the back of the group. Just as an alley came up, I pulled her to the side to press her up against a wall. Suki looked puzzled as I stood against her and ran my finger through a braid in her hair. I admired how silky her auburn hair felt between my fingers, and I knew I was going to miss that feeling.

"Sokka, what's going on?" Her blue eyes were glistening with confusion as I continued to play with her hair.

"I needed to have one last moment with you before I leave." A smiled started at corner of her lips as she placed both hands on the side of my face to pull me in for a kiss. She was gentle, yet her lips held so much urgency as we both knew this could possibly be the last time I kissed the love of my life. My hands trailed down her waist and then stopped at her hips, where I held Suki firmly against me.

I place one more kiss on the corner of her lips before pulling away, "I'm sorry that I have to leave you here, but I need to save my sister, and Aang." My hands cupped either side of her warm face as I locked eyes with her.

"Thank you, Sokka. But if she were my sister I would do the same. I wish I could do more to help, but my place is here keeping everyone safe." Her hands untangled themselves from my hair and I pulled her into me, wrapping my arms around her shoulders.

"I know, I want you to go but I could barely talk my dad into letting me go, and I don't want to push him too much. But this is a dangerous mission, and only so many people could tag along. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I lost you out there to the Fire Nation." She nodded into my chest in understanding.

"Come home safe, please. Save your sister and Aang." Her arms squeezed tighter around my waist as if she was afraid to let me go. I nuzzled in the crevice her neck, locking her smell in my memory. As far as saving Katara and Aang, I had no idea how long we would be gone for, let alone if we would even come back. But I had to have hope. This could be the last time I ever saw Suki. Her tears soaked into the material of my shirt and stuck to my skin. I was subduing tears which yearned to come, and a few slipped out.

"I love you." I whispered into her ear, and she let out a small whine, swollen with sorrow.

"I love you too, Sokka." Her words were soft and held so much pain. As we pulled away, I left one last kiss on her cheek before grabbing her hand to catch up with the others. We nearly lost them, but it was worth it.

* * *

 **KATARA POV**

Still, I could not believe that I slept for the whole day after leaving Zuko with Mai. It made sense now why I was so disoriented but felt so well-rested just after waking up. I looked up to Zuko and saw that we were standing closer to each other than we had been. The heat radiating from his body echoed against mine in an odd harmony. It was peaceful and comforting. His presence itself was a little overwhelming as he was much taller than I, and held this pride as he stood over me. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and I realized he only had a towel wrapped around his waist. In that moment I felt vulnerable and I was trying so hard to hold back the pink flush that was slowly rising in my cheeks once again. Seeing Zuko like this was not normal, and I hadn't ever had a feeling like this towards him. Memories from my first night with him came flooding back, and I realized how much I missed the skin to skin contact with him, and the warmth he emitted which enveloped me. I felt like gravity was suddenly taking strong hold of me as I came to realization of where I was and what was going on. Which then led me to think about my current situation as a prisoner and supposed harem girl. I pondered on what Aang could be doing right now. That is what started my worry and anxiety up all over again.

"Zuko, where's Aang?" He gulped, and I knew that couldn't be good. He had to have known that this question would come up eventually. Something wasn't right, and I knew officially as soon as he looked at the floor as he bit his lower lip.

"I should have known this would be brought up eventually. Katara I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, I'm sorry.." Zuko looked up into my eyes and my fear began to consume my mind. It rapidly then turned to anger as he stood there in silence.

"Tell me what happened, Zuko." I was more assertive this time and then took a step back so as not to make him feel attacked. The look on his face told me he felt guilty.

"Katara.." He started to stumble with his words. "The Avatar, when he was taken, he was beaten… severely." As the words spilt out of his mouth my anger resumed to serious worry.

"How bad?"

"Bad enough for them to bring in a healer to keep him alive, several different times. I've never seen someone get so beat to a pulp or tortured. When I saw him he looked like he wasn't even _there_ anymore, like his mind was elsewhere." This whole time, Zuko pitied me; the girl who was raped by many men and women and treated like shit. My experience was nothing compared to how Aang was probably feeling right now. I had been receiving treatment for my wounds and given rest, while my best friend was being beaten to death, almost.

"Where is he, Zuko? I have to help him." All I wanted to do is save him, but couldn't run around the palace screaming for Aang who probably wouldn't even be able to answer back. I wanted to kill the Fire Lord, which went against all my morals. I started walking to the door, waiting for Zuko to lead me to him.

"Katare, you can't." He ran over to me then slammed his hand on the door before I could even try to open it. "My father stated so clearly that if anyone enters his prison cell other than him or given permission, they will be killed on the spot. And it won't be an easy death. No one can see the Avatar. I only was able to see him when my dad asked me to check on the healers to see if they were done. Regardless of you being 'mine' he will kill you, and then Aang will never have a chance of getting out." I didn't know what to do. No matter how much I needed to get Aang out of there and save him, if I died he was already dead.

"Fine." I backed away as I folded my arms.

I would find a way eventually, no matter what it took.


	4. Chapter 4: The Painted Lady

**A/N: Hey guys! I recently had someone question the fact of why and how Zuko and Katara were becoming a thing so quickly. I originally wrote these chapters a year or two ago and posted them on Wattpad. However, my little fangirl-self was too excited about the story to give time for them to be accustomed to each other. Also Zuko didn't have a huge change in heart or anything. Zuko had always been one to please his father in the show to gain acceptance, but he was never one to hurt innocent people without some kind of mental karma. With this story starting in Book 4, Zuko has already grown a lot mentally, and I feel like with him seeing Katara as she was, he would feel ultimate guilt if he didn't do something to get her out of that bad situation. Because unlike Ozai, Zuko does have morals thank god. I hope this helps the rest of you out thru out the time of reading my story. However, I was thinking about possibly rewriting this story in the future. One, because I have grown as a writer and consider myself to write a lot better than when I first started writing this story, also because now that I look back and reread everything, I wish I would have paced myself a bit more as far as how quickly Zutara is becoming anything. Anyways, read on and please review! (: 3**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

I struggled severely as I lived with the fact of knowing that I couldn't save Aang, one of my best friends. After Zuko had told me, we distanced ourselves from each other for the next few days after. Not necessarily because it was awkward or embarrassing to be around the other, but because he was constantly attending what he called "War Meetings", even though I knew it was something else. Although, every night, he offered me a place in his chambers, I always refused him. Technically speaking, I was supposed to be with Aang, and I felt I wasn't allowed to have any feelings for Zuko. I had to push them away deeper. But feelings? They weren't much of actual feelings for him. It wasn't a crush or a love, just more of a deeper liking or attraction, I guess. I couldn't have feelings for Zuko. It was an absurd thought, just as crazy as siding with Azula, which really was insane. Refusing him even sometimes hurt, a little more than it should have. The lack of feeling loved, as well as being comfortable, made me desperate to sleep in a normal bed, and with Zuko. Even though it was so strong and tempting, I couldn't do it. Adding to that, the want to be held almost overcame me and my senses few times. If I were to let him hold me again, to cry in his arms, being so defenseless, it would show how weak and mentally scarred I am. I couldn't be weak around him, even though I longed too, especially after what happened in Ba Sing Se. And if I wanted to bury and lock away whatever… liking… I had of Zuko, I needed to isolate myself from him as much as possible.

Before Zuko and I finally had a real conversation, it had been a full, long, week, though it felt like months. I sat in his room, staring out from his bed to the window, in wait of his return, so I could ask to wash my clothes, or get new ones. When he did arrive, he came in rushed and out of breath. He shrugged off his robe, letting it fall to the floor, baring his chest and muscles, and ran into his bathroom, slamming the door quietly behind him. I listened in, hoping to find out what might be going on, maybe get a sliver of information. I heard a stone slide back into place in the wall, and then something being pulled along a rack. I freaked myself out, imagining everything he could've pulled out from behind the stone; a knife, something harmful to me. As I ran and jumped back to the bed, my body bounced wildly on it, and forced a small squeak from the wood of the bed. Suddenly, the door opened, and Zuko appeared wearing all black, which happened to shape groin more than he probably intended. I forced myself to look into his eyes.

"I'm leaving for a water village, and you're coming with." He didn't sound too enthusiastic about it, yet he sounded so intent on leaving for his destination. There was no smile on his face, but I was excited to be around my environment.

"Okay," I replied, "When are we leaving?" The Fire Bender looked at me and smiled, guiltily.

"Right now." He said, his grin giving away how he really felt about the situation, and he was, in fact, excited.

I slid off of his bed, landing on the cold flooring, and walked by the window, a little nervous about why he was so happy to go to a water village. I hoped he wouldn't hurt any of the people or the town itself..

Out of nowhere, he pulled out long, old, and ancient-looking, Fire Nation swords, looked to be meant for sneaking in and killing silently. The brightness of the moon reflected off of them, illuminating a glow on a spot of the floor. he stuck them on his back, sliding them into their proper places, and attached a mask to his left hip. The mask was blue, like Water tribe colors, and it had white marks on it's surface to define and detail the face. I recognized it as 'Blue Spirit'.

"Why, exactly, are we going there? What are you wanting to even do there?" I asked this, a little frightened at whatever Zuko had in mind. I didn't want to be killed because of him being a fool, or having other people hurt in the process, unless, of course, it was the Fire Nation.

He grinned again, seemingly happy, yet it held a devious tone at the same time. "We're gonna sabotage the Fire Nation factory." Now I was listening, I got excited about this, being able to destroy important Fire Nation property. I needed a way to let out all of my pain and anger, and this would hopefully help. But I quickly hid my amusement, acting as if it didn't matter much to me. I couldn't show any sign of weakness, especially since Zuko was obviously showing his. But why did he care for destroying a factory? Especially one run by his fellow people.

He put on his Fire Nation robes, covering his suit, and prepared for travel.

"My father isn't going, and he doesn't know you're going. I can keep the guards quiet, but we have to be careful. We will leave with few of my men, this trip is mainly to check up on the factory, and I have to talk with a few people." When he mentioned talking to people, I grew suspicious. What did he possibly have to talk to others about that was so important he needed to be there in person? "Also I gathered you some things to wear. It's much fancier than mine, because you are disguising yourself as 'The Painted Lady', the spirit that the village believes in. After we destroy their factory, I was thinking that you might be able to heal some of the sick people living there, and clean out their water so it's fresh again, since the factory ruined it to mesh. Basically we're giving them the hope that they lost, including their hope in 'The Painted Lady'." I was inspired by this, and I was excited finally be able to help someone again. Dressing up to sneak somewhere also sounded like much fun, something I missed doing with Sokka and the rest of the Gaang. My smile turned into a frown.

* * *

We left the same night that Zuko had presented me with the plan. We didn't have to sneak out of the palace, since Ozai knew Zuko was leaving. I just had to keep my face hidden from the entrance to the throne room, which Ozai rested in, as much as possible when we walked by the opened doors. The docks along the clear blue waters were empty, excepting one boat, about as big as my tribe's war ships, and covered in red instead of blue.

The time it took to finally reach the village didn't take very long, only a few hours at most. As we entered the murky waters surrounding the village, I saw with my own eyes how run down and beaten up the town looked. Expectedly, the town wasn't as gross as the waters around it. However, Zuko's brief description of this place earlier was not enough to describe how frightening everything really looked. How people survived in a town where the air was almost toxic, and the water was plagued, I didn't know. But these people were survivors, and they needed my help.

Looking over the side of the boat at the turbid waters, I watched the few ripples escape from the boat and move out around us, stopping as it reached it's maximum distance (which wasn't very far at all). The water was a cloudy and a deep, swampy, green. It seemed to be so thick and so deadly. I didn't understand how we moved through the waters so easily, knowing how thick it was. My eyes trailed up the side of the boat, and I saw a flash of golden, red, and black all mixed to together. Fire benders were burning the sludge in the waters, creating a clear path for the boat to move through. I looked to my right side again, glancing down at the water. It amazed me that the village was living in this place. A large fish popped up onto the surface and then floated back into it slightly, I yelped at the sudden surprise, leaping backwards and falling onto the wooden floor boards. The guards a little ways in front of me laughed, I glared back at them in disgust. But my cheeks reddened of embarrassment as I noticed Zuko had been watching me throughout the fall. I caught him chuckling softly, and he looked at me, we made very brief eye contact. His perfect smile made me blush more, more than I should've. I scolded myself for feeling embarrassed because of Zuko. I shouldn't care what Zuko thought, I didn't care for him anyways...

I didn't get up from where I was, it was slightly comfortable, more so than you would expect. So, I crossed my legs and sat up against the siding of the boat.

"Are you going to get up, servant girl?" My spacing out was interrupted as a guard bellowed at me, waiting for me to get up and leave the boat. I didn't acknowledge him as I stood up from where I had fallen, frustrated that I hadn't gotten up earlier, and I walked off of the boat with no help from the guards. Zuko looked at me, no smile among his "Fire Nation Prince serious face", and started walking towards the entrance of the factory, beckoning me with his hand to follow behind him. I bowed my head and stared at the ground, occasionally looking around at my surroundings, and Zuko, as I walked forward.

"Name?" One of the guards guarding *Oh, what d'ya know? A guard guarding!* said. Zuko looked up and had clenched fists.

"Do I really need to tell you my name?" Prince Zuko asked through clenched teeth. The guard cowered away whilst apologizing for his mistake, and allowed us all to go on. He gave me a death look as I passed him, and I stuck my tongue out at the coward. As soon as I looked forward in front of me, a wave of steam almost hit my face, and I fell back as I was shoved by Zuko.

"Don't walk through the steam, it's deadly and will hurt you by a single touch." He spoke softly, yet serious, into my ear as he held my arm. Yanking myself away from him, I walked on, allowing Zuko to take lead once more. We walked past many different rooms, all filled with red walls and floor, with steam floating to the ceiling and getting nowhere from there. Finally we arrived at a room.

Zuko had a meeting with everyone who was in that room, me unincluded. Apparently it was important as three men had came out, surrounded by the guards who had escorted us here, and they left how we came in.

"Zuko, what happened?" I whispered to him as I, again, stood by his side. He breathed in deeply.

"They were fired for helping the town beneath us in the water. They were giving them food and fresh water from our food supply here. Which isn't allowed." I was about to protest, but he stopped me. "My father's orders, not mine." He said regrettedly. I sighed, for once, I wished that I could have helped those guards, even if they were Fire Nation.

* * *

"Katara." I heard a sweet, deep voice speak quietly into my ear. His lips brushed against my ear, and I shivered a little, loving the touch. His voice sounded seductive, and it made me want to do bad things. "Katara wake up." When I opened my eyes, I turned my head quickly feeling Zuko's lips brush past my forehead as he pulled himself away. I blushed, hoping he hadn't noticed my smile, and my now rosy cheeks. He was grinning, though, and I was confused. But I shrugged it off. I remembered a few hours before, how I had been put in the slave quarters to sleep until the next light, in which we would leave.

"It's time to go." He whispered. Even as silent whispers, I felt like his voice was pleading for me to touch him. All I wanted to do was hug him and- I needed to stop thinking this way. I nodded, replying to him, and got up from my space, folding over my sleeping bag to make it look as if I was still lying there. When I walked out of the dark quarters, I saw that most of the factory was dark with few occasional lights enabling a view of the corridors. Zuko led me out of the factory through a different entrance than the one we had come in. He led me to a vast amount of large rocks, and we hid behind them. Doing exactly a Zuko, I stuffed my robes into a crevice of the rock. Zuko took out small paint he must have made himself, and drew markings on my lit up, tanned face, from the moon.

"Try not to wipe any of this off, it will ruin the illusion of you being the 'Painted Lady'. There will be some people up in the village, and no matter what happens, you cannot talk to them. Only nod, shake your head, or smile pleasantly." I nodded, and looked out to the village. I was about to save this village, and I was more than excited. "Also, while you're helping those people, I will be in the factory, destroying it. Be quick, and start immediately as you arrive in the town. Heal the sick and wounded first, and then clean their water as I start to blow up parts off the factory. When you're done, wash off your make up, and get rid of these robes. Nobody can have any evidence of you playing as the 'Painted Lady'."

"Okay, be careful Zuko." Why did I say that? I DON'T CARE IF ZUKO LIVES OR DIES. But honestly, it kinda hurt me to think of him like that, my mind wanted to like him, but it wasn't me. He is Fire Nation. I am Water Tribe. Fire and Water do not mix. Once again, I regretted my words. But, he smiled at me, almost making me forget anything bad he had ever done to me. And it melted my heart. I was confusing myself.

I ran down the hill, and created an ice path upon the murky waters. When my foot made contact with the wooden docks of the town, I slowed my breathing and calmed myself down. I needed to act as if I was her, 'The Painted Lady'. I walked through every house, and I healed all the broken and sick. As I finished my last home and was walking out, a boy called out to me.

"Thank you, Painted Lady." I deciphered whether or not it was a good idea to look back at him. And, regretfully, I looked back. I realized he had been sleeping with one of the mothers that I had healed. I nodded and turned away quickly, wrapping myself in fog. I wanted to say so much to that boy, how much I loved helping them, but I had to play the part of this spirit.

I continued on away from the town, back to the shore. And I, once more, slowed my breathing. I breathed deeply from my center, and closed my eyes. You can do this, Katara. My breath came out softly and deep as my hands motioned up for the water to cooperate. I had to believe that I could do this. I moved my hands in fluid motions, as if my body was water itself, and I separated some of the muck from the river, setting it away from the water. Only doing a quarter of the lake was enough to make me want to drop to the ground and sleep, but I needed to keep going. I had to keep going for them; for the villagers.  
When I finished separating all of the water, it finally looked clean. Even though the village was still torn down and damaged, they could rebuild it easily compared to cleaning out this mess. My knees suddenly gave way as I became too tired to stand up any longer. I looked over to the factory and saw ash filling up the starry night sky. Men were yelling and running about as they tried to flee the factory. I knew it was time for me to return, before anyone noticed. I ran back behind the same hedge of rocks I left my robes, and I threw off my disguise. As soon as I had my Slave's Kimono on, I took the clothes to the water. I shoved them beneath the now-clean surface, and I watched them float away until they disappeared. I felt good about what I had done. I felt like I had given them hope again.

* * *

"WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS!" Zuko played his part well as all of the men running the factory were lined up facing him. He yelled at them like he was really angry, even though he knew he had done it himself.

"You." I realized was pointing at one of the men as I slipped next to the slave girl's, whom stood on the side of the scene. They were non-benders, so it would have been close to impossible for them to cause something so disastrous.

A man stepped forward as Zuko beckoned him with his finger.

* * *

In order to make himself seem innocent, he ordered a man to be killed that night. Although, the man who was had to be killed happened to have committed other crimes against the Fire Nation, which Zuko was thankful for. Yet, he did feel some sorrow for the man. It was his fault they were going to die. We ended up leaving before the sun awoke from it's slumber, and arrived at the Fire Nation palace within the first hour of the sun awaking. All of us were tired, especially Zuko and I, but it was worth it. When we had arrived at the palace, Zuko personally escorted the half-guilty man to Fire Lord Ozai, after being ordered to by Ozai himself.

Now, I awaited for Zuko in his room. I sat on his bed, reading a novel I had found at his bedside. I didn't want to fall asleep until Zuko arrived, for some reason, I felt I needed to know that he was safe. But I couldn't force myself to sleep.

As I was deep-thought into the novel, I heard the door slam. Looking up, I saw Zuko. He was staring at the ground, and his hands were clenched into fists. Was he angry?

"Zuko what's-" I stopped as I watched his knees buckle and he fell to the ground. His hands covered his face and suddenly he let out a cry. It wasn't a normal cry, like when you accidentally hurt an animals as a child. No. This cry was a cry for help. He weeped into his hands, crying out. My heart felt like it had shattered to nothing. Zuko was crying. This was something unheard of, Zuko never cried. Not unless it was something so serious. I rushed to his side and touched him. But as the skin covering my nimble fingers touched his robes, I pulled it away knowing that it wasn't wet from tears. I brought my hand close to my nose, and smelt what it was. Blood. Fresh blood. I hoped it wasn't his.

"Zuko, what happened!" I tore off his robes from his, not taking any time to admire his strong muscles beneath. And as soon as he shrugged them off, he fell into me. I held him tightly, letting a tear fall everytime he weeped. He grabbed my arm, holding himself to me even tighter, and I knew he needed this. I felt awful for him, and I hadn't even known what had actually happened yet.


	5. Chapter 5: Mental Torment

**A/N: Sorry this chapter and the upcoming few are a bit shorter than previous ones. But please review when you finish! It does help inspire me to keep going for you guys. I often go through writers block quite frequently unfortunately.**

 **Also, it is 1am right now and I am absolutely exhausted. I actually woke up to post for you guys because I forgot to add this chapter last night. So you better believe you guys are important to me, haha. This story will for sure have a happy ending, I promise. But we got a LOT more chapters to go before that point comes. (;**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5**

"Zuko, what happened!" I tore off the dark robes from his body, not leaving a single moment for me to admire his strong muscles beneath. This wasn't the time. As soon as he shrugged them off, his weight plundered into me. At first, I didn't know what to do, but I knew that he needed to be held. My arms enveloped Zuko and I held him as tight as I could to me. Everytime he weeped, a tear slipped out of the corner of my eye. I knew he needed this. And after all he had done for me, I owed it to him. He helped me when I needed him. My heart ached for him, yet, I still didn't know what had actually happened.

"My father," He paused to take in a deep, heavy breath and talk correctly. "He-he made me kill that man. I had to prove my loyalty. And I-I, I ripped out his heart after I sliced his chest open, while he was still alive." I gasped, shocked, and I knew I could never understand what he was going through. Not only was that torture for the man he killed, but it was for Zuko, too. "It, it was horrible Katara. I hate him. I hate my father." He started to weep again. "I hate this Katara. And I have to act loyal to him until I can someday overrule him." I held his head against my chest, whilst his breathing came bated. It was new to me, and probably him, as Zuko was letting himself go completely in front of me.

"I know, Zuko. And I am so sorry. No father should ever make someone do that. Especially their damn son! Ozai is a horrible father." I continued to hold him in my arms, clutching him so tightly. Soon, his crying died out after almost ten minutes. When he pulled away, I wanted him back, but I realized my breasts were soaked with his tears. He looked at me suddenly, and my heart melted. As I looked into his golden eyes, I saw through Zuko. He was sad and lonely, he needed to be loved. He needed to feel loved. I felt like I could see hidden parts of him that he didn't even know about. His eyes told me a story without words. I suddenly wanted to fall into him.

"Zuko, why did you have to prove your loyalty to him?" I was curious, yet I figured that I already knew his answer.

He looked away from me and stared at his, still, bloody hands "I was supposed to capture the Avatar to redeem myself- you know that. But I didn't. Azula and her men did. I was allowed back in the Fire Nation a few days before you had arrived at the palace. And when I passed you in the hallway, I was on my way to talk to my father about the Avatar and why he was letting me return. He told me he needed me for something, and then said I would eventually need to prove my loyalty to him. But to further explain how I got you, instead of him, I had to beg him for you. I told him that Mai didn't want to go that far in our relationship, and I needed someone who would." His words confused me, since he did stumble here and there.

"Why did you want me? Er- I mean why did you want to save me from him. I was apart of the reason you had never captured the Avatar." After I spoke Aang's title, I grew sad, and depression laid over me like a blanket.

"Ever since my Father allowed me back home, I knew I wanted to change. I didn't want to be cruel and mean like him. I want to be nothing like him, and have nothing to do with him. When I saw you, I knew I might be able to redeem myself by saving you from him, and the other men, and keep you for myself. Although, I never planned on using you in such ways. I can't stand using women as so. They're not objects or things that we can do with it what we will. Girls are just the same as men, but my father believes differently." So all along, Zuko was trying to be a better person, a better man. I felt awful for ever thinking of him badly. Although the rest of the Fire Nation were barbaric savages, Zuko was different. And here and now, he was proving it to me. I knew I trusted him, and I believed now I could trust him with my life. He has saved me several times..

"Katara, I am so sorry for anything I have done towards you and your friends. I'm so sorry if I hurt you or anyone else in the process of capturing the Avatar. I'm changing myself, or trying to at least, but my anger remains the same. I really am trying, though, to be and act different from my Father." Zuko's voice turned into a harsh whisper, and his voice cracked.

My Gran-Gran would want me to forgive him, everyone deserves a second chance, this was Zuko's third and final chance. But I was sure this time was different. He wouldn't betray me as he did in Ba Sing Se. He's different.

"I know Zuko, I don't care about all the things you did against us, it's all in the past." I spoke my words carefully next, "I know that you have a hated towards your father, for good reason too. But isn't there a small part of you that even a little bit loves your Father?" Zuko looked timid. Even though a small part of me hated my dad for leaving all those years ago, leaving us to thrive and prosper on our own, I still loved him. But maybe it was different for Zuko?  
"Maybe when I was a boy, but he is a coward! No one could ever love him, he is unlovable. Azula doesn't even love him, she only uses him to gain power one day to destroy me." Zuko, the man who was neglected by his father and thrown into the real world to capture someone nobody else could, who has been through so much devastating torment and loss. He did have a heart, like everyone else.

* * *

Later that evening I bathed Zuko, not even just to stare at his masculinity, but to help soothe him, and cleanse him of the man's blood. He didn't speak once throughout the time I bathed him, only stared at the wall ahead of him. After his bath, I let him dress himself, and have a minute alone in the bathroom as he had asked for. He took almost a half hour, but I knew and understood that he would need a while to calm down and really think about what happened. After he reappeared, I joined him in his bed and played with his hair into he was fast asleep. In doing so, I was able to have a moment to think while I was calm. A moment to think about everything, mainly concerning Zuko.

I thought about what Zuko's reaction might've been when his father asked him to kill that guard. He had to of stood there, frozen in his steps, yet confident in his face. It probably hurt him so much when his father asked him to do such awful things, and I can imagine what he probably could've been thinking in the moment. Was saving the suffering and dying village worth this mental pain? For once, I regretted saving people. I wished he would have left me behind, never once mentioning the unhealthy village people. He wouldn't of had to slaughter the man where he stood. Maybe he could be happier right now, but then what would his father have done, without the instance happening, to prove Prince Zuko's loyalty to the Nation? My mind wandered endlessly, consuming my brain with only Zuko. Zuko.

* * *

 **Zuko POV**

My father requested me to personally escort the innocent man to him, and I guessed he wanted me to do so since I accused the man of his supposed "crime against the Nation". Inside, in my gut, I felt awful for accusing this man. Someday, I knew I would make it to him, I would free him of his prison, and send him home to his family getting wealthy pay for many years to come until he found a new job to well-support his family and offspring.

When we arrived at the entrance to the throne room, I grasped the back of the prisoner's neck tightly causing him step forward at once, as he started to try and linger back, afraid of the Fire Lord's wrath in which would be inflicted about him. Already knowing that nothing could persuade the Fire Lord to think any different after being told of something, he had a fit of aggressive sweating, which led to me losing the grip on his neck. He tried to run away but tripped on the chains surrounding his ankles.

"Prisoner! If you have nothing to hide, you will not run away like the filthy coward you are!" My own words hit me hard, making me feel weak, but I couldn't act weak in front of my father. I kicked at the man's back so hard to force the air from his weakened lungs. "GET UP!" I yelled to his ears. The man got up quickly, fearing what I might intend to do to him if he didn't get up. He walked towards my father, and only stood before him. My father didn't deserve the treatment of men and women bowing on their knees, but it was a needed gesture. Using anger fueled towards my father, I kicked the back of his knees, forcing him to fall down, possibly breaking his kneecap.

"Father." I greeted my father as if it were a casual evening, although we all knew it wasn't. This particular evening would be nothing but a trial, in which the innocent man would surely lose.

"Zuko." He greeted me back, no emotion showing behind his angry eyes. "Let me, do the work for the moment. Back away." I was surprised at his words, I figured he might want my input, apparently not. Wanting to feel better in the situation, I thought of what Katara and I had done tonight. We saved a place of persistent death together, and brought life to it's waters in which it lived upon. She looked so beautiful in the dress she wore as a costume of the real, or not, 'Painted Lady'. Her makeup fit her features so well, and I admired it. Fortunately, she looked even better without pounds of makeup covering her tanned face. Purely, she was gorgeous, like a water lily. Katara's luscious brown locks fit her so well, to ever see her hair disappear would be a nightmare, one I would never live to see, her hair was apart of her, just as her bending was.

"Zuko." He questioned for me, though it was more of a demand.

I stepped forward from the darkness that enveloped me, and into the torch light, "Yes, father?" I replied back, sternly. My mind quickly forgot of Katara, and I could only concentrate on what my father might say next.

"I want you to kill this man." His words shocked me, and pierced through my heart. I felt as if I couldn't breathe. Months ago, maybe a year, I would have done it immediately, with little regret. Now, I felt such hatred towards my father for asking me to do such things to an innocent man as he was. Breathing deeply, and closing my eyes, I grabbed out my swords from the sheaths on my back, hearing a ring enter the vast room. "With your bare hands." My father grinned, vile covering his god hated face. I dropped my swords to the ground, and kept my face stern. If I waited any second longer, he would have doubt for me. I knew he was making you do this to prove my loyalty to him, to show I was really a Prince of his.

Running forward, I punched the man in the face, using the momentum from the run. Doing my best, I tried to think of this man being my father, how much pain and torture he deserved. The man tried to get up from the ground and I brought my foot down on his head, shoving his face into the ground, and breaking his nose and some teeth. I grabbed the crying man by his leg and threw him into the nearest pole, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. His whimpers were faded out, but he begged for my mercy. He begged me to let him go. But I couldn't. If I did, I would be killed for disobeying my father. Katara would be taken by him as his own and raped. My hands grasped around his head, adding pressure to his temples to cause even more aching pain, and threw him back to the center of the room, where my father watched excitedly. Walking forward, my foot stomped down on his ribs, and I felt one break beneath me. The man's screams filled the room, as his blood filled the floor, and my father rejoiced in what was music to his ears. I looked towards his hands and knew eventually my father would ask me to burn him. So I ignited a flame in my hands and let out all my energy into burning his hands. They turned a bright red, immediately after dulling into a black and crisped away. Never in my life had I heard such a terrifying scream in my ears. It pained me, and my mind hurt.  
"Prince Zuko," I looked over to my father, preparing to shoot flames at the man's head. "tear his heart out, while he is still breathing." I knew exactly how. I ignited the tip of my finger and took it to the man's chest. I made a circle around his heart, and burnt my finger into his skin. Getting past his thick layer of skin and muscle, I tore open the circle of skin, and the tore the man's heart out. I looked towards his barren face and saw how much fear filled his eyes. I would never be able to save him from prison. He would never see his family again, because of me, and he was tormented mentally and physically so severely. I felt, myself, as if I would never recover from a situation such as this.

"Zuko, you have chosen wisely. I will see you tomorrow morning at the meeting." My father grinned at me as he turned away. I waited a second, to show that I wasn't scared or ready to leave him. Finally, I turned on my heel and headed to my room, where, hopefully, Katara would be waiting for me.

As soon as I walked through the entrance to my room and shut the door behind me, my knees buckled in, and I fell directly to the floor.

* * *

 **Katara POV**

The next morning, I awoke with the sun shining into my eyes from the already opened curtains. I grinned and snuggled myself deeper into the covers, whilst finding no warmth radiating from Zuko anymore. He must've left for a meeting early this morning. Sitting up from the bed, I yawned and then stretched. Never had I woken up feeling so good after being held captive for so long. I realized, that as my mental torment was coming to an end, never ending for a while however, Zuko's torment was only beginning. I had to be there for him in any way I possibly could. He was my friend, although, of course I hoped for something a little more. Nobody could help me when I needed it, Zuko would fortunately get that treatment.

Hours, I waited for Zuko's return. I had already eaten my lunch, and it was almost time for dinner. My thoughts worried for Zuko; What if something terrible and tragic happened to Zuko? I couldn't help but think negatively after everything that happened last night. Grabbing a novel from the shelf, I read until Zuko would return. Hopefully, this time, he wouldn't return a bloody mess.

* * *

 **A/N: POOR ZUKO. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME.**


	6. Chapter 6: I Loved It, Every Second

**Chapter 6**

It had been a week since Zuko had to murder an innocent man, torturously. We hadn't forgotten about it, of course; it wouldn't leave my mind. How Zuko held himself together so well, I didn't understand. But I figured it must've been to show that he was confident and okay, to represent the Prince of the Fire Nation. It really was his duty to be strong for his people.

Once again, I waited for Zuko to return from one of his "important" meetings. Oddly, when Zuko returned, he was not happy, but bored. Although I still saw through the fake smiles straight to the hurt in his eyes, which needn't be mentioned, I was excited for him to return, seemingly, okay. I set down the novel next to me on the bed, and got up to walk to him. Lately, I had gotten in the habit of taking his cloak off for him and hanging it up as any other normal slave would do, so as not to raise suspicion from the woman outside the door who technically served him.

"My father," Zuko still cringed at speaking about his father in a nice manner, "wants me and Azula to go stay at our old beach house where we grew up as kids. Azula is bringing Mai and Ty Lee, so I'm bringing you as my 'sex slave'." He air-motioned quotation marks sarcastically. He talked about it being a beach house, that had to mean we'd be close to a vast majority of water, and I could finally bend and be in my element. The most I had been around water was in the bath. It felt nice, but I wanted more than just the quantity that filled the bathtub.

"Okay, when do we leave?" I replied, hoping soon. He led me to the window to stare out at the water beyond the palace.

"Tonight. We'll be arriving tomorrow morning. I hate travelling during the day, it makes me more queasy." I could understand why he wasn't immune, like me, to the waves which rocked the ship sometimes.

Turning on my heel, I walked to the bed to make it look nicer, or more neat. I would have to get used to doing this if I was going to be around Azula and her friends. "Oh, Katara?" I looked up to see sad golden eyes staring straight through me. "Will you please help me bathe before we leave? I need to look my best when we arrive tomorrow, and I'd prefer not bathing on the ship." Nodding, I followed him to the bathroom. I understood something was up. He sat on a chair next to the tub as I turned on the faucet. Hot water poured into the tub, and steamed into the air. I poured a good smelling oil into the water as it slowly filled up.

"Katara, do you remember the man I killed?" I knew it hurt him to announce it once again, yet he didn't cringe as much as normal. His voice told me he was fine, but his saddened eyes screamed at me that he wasn't okay. He was being strong, or trying to.

"Yes, Zuko." I spoke like a proper servant should, excepting his title. "I should go grab you some towels." With my head hung low, I walked away quickly to find towels for after his bath. I grabbed some from the nearest shelf and walked back to the bathroom. When I walked in, Zuko was in the tub staring at the wall ahead. There it was again. His body. I admired his strong muscles and his chest. I saw nothing below the water due to the oils changing the way things appeared from under to water, and I was okay with that. I didn't want to see too much of Zuko, we weren't even together. His head turned to me, and I continued forward, setting towels on a rack stuck to the wall.

"I dream about him." I knew this, of course, he tossed and turned in his sleep. Sometimes he whimpered my name, seemingly frightened, but I never said anything so I wouldn't embarrass him.

"I'm sorry, Zuko." He looked at me, anger boiling behind his stricken, golden eyes.

"Why don't you ever talk to me like you used to, before that night?" His tone was serious and assertive; his words came out, quickly without a breath. I knew that when he said that night, he was referring to the night in which the innocently accused man was executed- I knew that wasn't the proper word for describing how he died, but it was more simple to think.

"What do you mean?" My tone showed I was saying it out of pure curiosity. But I wanted to know his reasoning, even though I knew that I, myself, had changed in how I spoke to him.

"You talk to me like I'm higher than you, and you are much less. You talk like if you say something wrong, I might have you killed." His eyes pierced right through me, as he once again looked me straight in the eye. He probably felt hurt, maybe guilty of something.

"After that night, I guess I just decided that being a servant, I should act as one. And since we are going to that place with your sister, I need to be in the habit of treating you as a higher authority, like you are." My words seemed to hurt him a little. Zuko still didn't like accepting the fact of being Ozai's son, and he especially didn't enjoy being treated as if you were scared he was going to end your life, especially after what happened.

"I guess you are right." He drifted into the water, taking a deep breath, and then disappearing into the murkiness underneath. His black hair floated around his head as he held himself under. I waited for him to come back up for air, and I thought about maybe acting and treating him like a friend instead. Yet, anyone could become suspicious.

The rest of his bath was quiet, I cleansed his body with the fancy soaps which laid next to the tub, in peace. I knew this wouldn't be a good night for me to admire his muscles through the soapy water. So, I started to think of everything he said, using it as a distraction. I thought of how differently I treated him; how much I hated it. When I spoke, my words flew out like I had to be perfect and fluent with every word, but I wanted to talk to him like a friend. Friend. The only friend I had had since my capturing was the girl from the harem, and Zuko. Zuko. I thought of him as more than just any friend, which couldn't be helped. He was so sweet to me since he saved me from his father, and what Ozai would've done to me. He was changing, as well. Zuko was not the same when he first laid eyes on Aang in my tribe, back when everything was normal. He was learning a new strength, which could be deemed as a weakness now, to people like me. I could use it against him, get him in trouble, or hurt him. I could never do that, especially when he was so vulnerable. Once upon a time my thoughts would have been different, maybe when I first arrived, but he really had changed. I could never use him like that now.

Zuko looked straight into my eyes then while I rubbed soap against his back. I felt something new deep within. Only once before had I felt this feeling, but it was due to happiness; when I finally did something fun in my tribe, penguin sledding with Aang. Yet the feeling was different, I felt happy of course, but I also felt lust. I knew it already, this feeling was dangerous. This feeling could get me in trouble. His eyes suddenly were locked on my lips, as our faces were only inches away. I looked down, as well, to stare at his thin lips pursed together. I couldn't help but think of how perfect they looked; how good they could feel against my own. Butterflies fluttered, no, banged around inside my stomach. Before I could think, I was leaning in to kiss him. It wasn't just me, though. Zuko leaned into my face too. Our lips met, forming around the other's. They felt so warm and good around mine, a perfect first kiss to have. The butterflies in my stomach flew wildly, sending amazing sensations throughout my body. It was passionate, but it only lasted a few seconds.

My eyes flew open as I realized what was happening. I was kissing Zuko, and he was kissing me back. I tore my lips from his looking towards the ground, my tanned cheeks blushing heavily. He quickly looked away too, looking down at the water biting his lip.

"I, uh." I tried to think of any words to say. "The towels are on the shelf, I'll go get my things." Jumping up from where I sat, I ran from the bathroom. 

* * *

**Zuko POV**

I was so thankful for Katara being in my life. Although I was completely naked in front of her, she gladly helped bathe me as I was feeling hopeless at the time, without freaking out to know that I was naked underneath the hot water. I felt bad for accusing her of talking to me different, I should've approached it differently, sounded less angry. I hoped she didn't feel any hurt about what I said. Although I was curious as to why she spoke so differently to me, like her life was on stake, instead of as her friend. I did save her from my father, she should speak to me more grateful that I saved her. My anger started to rise, Zuko calm down. Her reasoning makes sense, I should respect that.

My thoughts were changed to beautiful Katara. No word could honestly describe her perfect tanned features. She had a nimbleness to her, every move was calm and well-thought out, perfectly timed. She was beyond perfection, and beyond even that. Katara was the most ravishing woman I had ever seen. I wanted her to be mine, all mine. But I could never force her to like me, or love me. As Katara rubbed the soap along my back, I looked up to her eyes. Her blue orbs were dazzling, enchanting; nothing could compare to such beauty. When her eyes at last made contact with mine, I felt this horribly great ache to kiss her lips. My stomach felt like a dragon was flying around swiftly. I wanted to be so much closer to her. Lingering, my eyes continued to stare into her hers, which then trailed down her face to her full lips. I imagined how they might feel against mine, soothing most likely. Her very touch was calming, a kiss had to be even better. She started to lean in, slowly, as did I. She stared at my lips, as I did hers. Soon our lips touched. The feeling was overwhelming, and my gut was pleased with my mind. Katara's warm lips were incredibly soft, and felt amazing against mine. Everything about it was passionate, the first kiss that teenagers dreamed of. My hands grabbed the sides of the tub, barely lifting myself up to get closer.

Then she pulled away, quicker than how long the kiss had lasted. My lips felt cold, and I was surprised at her pulling away completely. Her cheeks turned a fiery red, it was adorable. I looked away suddenly, believing to be making her feel uncomfortable. The moment which came after the kiss was awkward, even I blushed. I bit my lip, remembering the feel of hers against mine.

"I, uh… The towels are on the shelf. I'll go get my things." Katara raced out of the bathroom just like that. Gone. I hoped I hadn't scared away. But telling by the blush which filled her darkened cheeks, obviously she had felt the same feelings. She had to have felt awkward, though.

Before I left the cooled down bath, I had to sit for a moment, recap on everything which had just occurred. I kissed Katara, and I loved it, every second.

* * *

 **A/N: So, uh, they kissed! FINALLY, right?! Lol, I was excited. I thought you guys would enjoy seeing Zuko's POV of the kiss, and not just listening to Katara's all the time. I try to go back and forth. BUT SHIT MAN. That kiss wasn't very heated, but I wish my first kiss was like that… /.\ :(**


	7. Chapter 7: Weakening

**A/N: Hey everyone! I know it's been several weeks since my last update, and I am so sorry! I ended up getting really sick, then started a new job and I work 5 days a week, so everything has been a bit stressful! I'm very proud of myself, but ANYWAYS, this chapter is short, so I'm giving you guys another tonight as well to make up for it. Thank you to those of you who continue to leave reviews, they keep me motivated to write more and I absolutely love it.**

 **PLEASE TAKE NOTE I've had a couple people message me about how dark and disturbing this story is. I clearly stated in the summary what this story contains. If you cannot handle it, don't read my story! It's meant to have a rather disturbing feel to it. When you think about it, Avatar was made to be kid friendly, but do you really think Ozai and Azula would really not do any of this stuff if it weren't a kid show? They are completely nut cases so I mean... But seriously, I take pride in my work, please don't message or leave me negative reviews of how my story is 'unfortunate'. Not to be rude, but it wasn't made for you if you don't like the dark side of it. Obviously no one enjoys rape, but it's apart of the story to give it a realistic feeling, and I want my readers to be able to bond with the characters and feel their emotions through out the story. If a story doesn't lead you to tears, make you happy, or angry, than it wasn't written well, in my opinion. Because you know that you read a good book when the end gives you happy, yet sad, tears.**

 **Anyways, without further ado, here is the 7th chapter of Save Me!**

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

Although kissing Zuko was a personal pleasure, one of which should not have been done, things would now be awkward between us. Sleeping in the same bed would now feel weird, and I knew Zuko would come out about it in either three ways; one, he would pretend like it never happened, two, he will ask about it immediately when he gets out, or three, he will ignore it and then bring it up later. I hoped he would do the first one, and completely forget about it. Being caught in the moment had me doing things I hadn't even known that I wanted a couple minutes before it happened. But I didn't want it. Or did I? My thoughts had me so confused. And I should have been thinking of the problem at hand; going to the Fire Lord's family beach house as Zuko's sex slave. I would have to act as if he is higher authority, and I am nothing. My every response must end with his title. Any mistake which is made in any of that, will lead to a fault for him and I. Possibly bigger punishment for him more than me.

Zuko interrupted my thoughts as he walked out of the bathroom wearing only a towel from waist down. I held my gaze at his face, waiting for him to say something.

"We need to get ready to leave soon. I'm going to go gather all my things and I will send the girl outside my door to fetch you some things so you don't have to wear the same things every day." He stood by the bedpost while I stood straight up from where I was. It looked like he wasn't going to bring it up, which was okay with me by all means.

"Okay. Thank you, Zuko." I spoke directly.

"It's Prince Zuko, to you." Zuko smirked, mocking the fact of how I would have to go by his title. He went to the door and talked to the girl briefly, until he came back in to start gathering things.

"Do you need any help, Prince Zuko?" Using his title did make me giggle. And although we were joking about formalities, I knew it probably upset him slightly due to the talk we had just had in the bathtub. However, I just let the subject be. The rest of the day up until we were going to leave was rather boring. Zuko was in and out of the room doing who knows what, while I sat by the window admiring the ocean which lay out a bit aways from us. With nothing else to do in this place, eyeing the movements of the tide was quite interesting, especially considering it was my element. I didn't start actually packing until closer towards the time we were to leave, as the girl took a bit longer to finally get some things back to me. And once Zuko was ready, we were leaving.

"It's about time, ZuZu." I flinched at the voice I heard from a distance. I hadn't heard that voice since I had been on that ship. Being on that ship had been a complete nightmare, as much as a nightmare could possibly be. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I will always have constant reminders. Example number one, Azula, and number two happened to be the baby which was growing inside me. In the mirror in the bathroom, I had seen the bump in my stomach, bigger than usual. I also had skipped my menstrual cycle, another big clue. I knew I was in big trouble, no matter how much I tried to push these thoughts away.

"Shut up Azula, I'm surprised you were even here on time." Zuko spoke up. We continued walking towards the ship, me carrying all of our things, or attempting to, with help from a couple other servants. I stayed a short distance behind Zuko, knowing he had to lead me forth. We walked onto a large fire nation ship, and as soon as we paused, I felt a pair of lips against my right ear.

"Remember last time we were on this ship?" His voice held much vile excitement. My eyes widened and I held my jaw shut. Memories flooded back worse than before, and my body began to shake. I couldn't be raped anymore, not one more time. I don't know if I could handle it. "I'll find you, believe me." His assurance was frightening. But would Zuko really let someone get away with this doing? I continued to walk on with the rest of the group, and I felt his presence leave. As we entered the bridge to walk onto the boat, I could feel the waves below me. Going up against the ship and then echoing back against the wall, I wished I could be water, so free. Claimed by no one but itself.

"Katara?" Zuko's voice brought me back, I looked up and realized I was stopped on the bridge. He tugged me along with two guards following us as we descended down a set of stairs away from the rest of the group. The corridor was long, and it reminded me of walking through it to get put into other rooms with people to take advantage of me. The shivering began once again and I picked up my pace until I was almost on Zuko's heels.

* * *

We arrived at a door and stopped, the guards both stood out on both sides of the door as we entered. The room held one bed, for Zuko, a few fire nation posters among the walls, and some swords on the farthest wall. There was one door, which I presumed led into the bathroom, unlike how my "room" was with the toilet in the main room. I set Zuko's bags down on the side of his bed as he collapsed onto his back on the bed. He sighed in content. I took clothes from his bags and put them in the drawers at the end of the bed. I took one bag, full of bathroom necessities, and placed them in their spots in the bathroom, which I had been right about.

I began to cry as memories took their place in their mind deeper. All I could remember was the pain, the pain of every man and woman who raped me on a ship exactly like this. One of the rooms, Azula's room, had been as nice as this one, and things had been done on the same looking bed as Zuko's. I began to whimper as I couldn't hold in my cries any longer. "Katara? What's wrong?" Zuko had heard me even though I had attempted a quiet cry. So I walked out of the bathroom, unable to form words at the moment. I came out looking down to the ground, salty tears dripping from my eyelashes and splashing against the floor. I couldn't face him, I couldn't let him see me like this again.

"Katara, look at me please." His voice was sweet, mesmerizing, as it always was. But this time it was more soft-hearted, and slightly calming to my current feelings. I slowly looked up, trying to blink and wipe away my tears, but he held my wrists to my sides. His eyes grew pained when I finally looked him in the eye, and I knew he was worried. He quickly pulled me into his arms and held me tight. I couldn't help but cry harder. Wailing into his chest, I soaked the front of his robe. I felt his hand stroke my back tenderly, while his other arm remained around my shoulders. I could hear soothing sounds from his lips against my ear as he attempted to help me to feel better.

"It's okay, I'm here." And really, that was all I needed. I needed physical touch and for someone to just hold me. I felt so small in such a big world in this moment, like a dead leaf in the wind, fragile to anything that touches it. I couldn't deny this feeling from anyone, especially Zuko. For some reason, just his presence made everything superior, and I could not contradict that.

"Thank you so much." I mumbled out. He nodded into my hair and breathed in deeply. I was catching my breath finally. Out of nowhere, I felt one of his arms snak behind the pit of my knees and I was lifted into the air, just like he had when he saved me from the man. This time, I was conscious, for the most part. He carried me towards the bed and laid me down gently. His body moved over me as he laid down behind me. I felt his hand weaver through the blankets and wrap around my waist, pulling me up against him.

"Is this okay?" I nodded, feeling no need for verbal words. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck as he held me to him. His heat radiated against my body, warming me up quicker. You know that feeling when you are crying and your body weakens, so you succumb to the coldness around you, like when you're sick? That was exactly how I felt in that moment, and I needed as much heat as I could get.

* * *

After about an hour, I couldn't sleep. The light had been dimmed in this room, and I didn't know if Zuko was asleep. "Zuko?" I whispered out. He moved slightly against me and pulled me in tighter. My stomach raced with butterflies.

"Hm?" I must've woken him.

"How have you gone so long and not broke?" It was a deep question, but I was honestly curious. He sighed before he answered, obviously contemplating his answer.

"Well, I try to remember good memories when all of the bad goes down."


	8. Chapter 8: No Sleep

**Chapter 8**

* * *

After about an hour of trying, I couldn't sleep. The light had been dimmed in this room, with the moon shining in the briefest amount of light. How I missed the moon, and the way it felt against my skin, the way it made my heart beat. I could feel one with tide as we laid on this boat in it's warmth. Well, Zuko's warmth since he was a firebender. I felt him shift beside me in the bed, pulling tighter against my stomach. He managed to somehow pull himself closer to my body, and I could feel his breath hitting my neck. The butterflies started to become all too much, so I slowly took his arm out from around my waist. I stood up from the bed and walked to the window.

Originally, Zuko had made me take pills to put away my bending, into a deeper part of me. However, after a while I began to discover the deeper side of my waterbending since being on them. I felt more powerful using it in such a way. According to Zuko, nobody has ever been able to get past the pills before, but I thought it could've been since I knew how to bloodbend. Either way, I stood underneath the moonlight, letting in all of it's light, allowing my skin to glow. My eyes closed as I felt sensations run throughout my body. I felt powerful, especially since tonight was a full moon. I could feel the blood running through every vein, I could move the tide, feel it shift beneath me, even while in the boat. I could sense the fish all around us, moving out of the way of the cruising ship. I started to play with the water. I formed my hands as if I was holding something, and lifted into the air. A sphere of water came from the water, swirling around as I played with it. My feet shifted into horse stance and I moved the water into our room. Performing the moves from the waterbending scroll I had once stolen from a bunch of mean pirates, I made each move precisely and thoughtful, just as Pakku had taught me. I felt the water slip between my fingers. My body moved light like a leaf, until I came to a final standing position, holding the water in my hands. I breathed in and out deeply, feeling more calm than I had been earlier.

"So beautiful." A whisper came from behind me. I quickly whipped around, preparing to attack. Only, I found a red-cheeked Zuko waiting behind me on the bed. My cheeks also darkened as I realized what he had said.

"Er, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd hear that." He scratched the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed of his words. However, I was embarrassed for even being caught in my "mode".

"No, it's okay." I looked out the window and threw the water out, well, bended it out. I didn't know what to do after being caught.

"The way you move, it's uh, it's just beautiful, I guess. How you perform your form, you move with the wind, or er, like water. It's cool." Zuko being his classic awkward self made me laugh a little, which only deepened his blush. "Thank you, Prince Zuko." I giggled when I said that, bringing things down to a less awkward level. Except, I went into a more serious mindset. I couldn't help but think about how Zuko has been holding himself together so well lately. I couldn't get it past my mind. "Zuko, how do you keep yourself together so well?" His eyes grew solemn, and he patted the spot next to him as he sat up in the bed. I walked over and sat criss-cross on his bed facing towards him. "Honestly, I don't."

"So what's been going on?" I questioned. He seemed suddenly upset and I knew there was definitely more going on than what I could have possibly known.

* * *

 **Zuko POV**

"My father, he's just, as you know, is himself. And it gets to me, just about every night. I think about what life would be like, if things were different. If my father was a normal man, but righteous in his doings. Not letting people suffer for made up deeds by his word. I imagine a life where my mom stayed, where she didn't run away from me. But I can never have that. And that is what gets to me most of all. How I have a father who could give less of a fuck about me, and a mom who didn't care enough to stay to protect me from my father's cruelness. It kills me on the inside, breaks me down and cuts me up so deep.

Katara, I swear I can feel my heart tearing itself apart due to grief. I don't know how much longer I can even continue to stay strong. I've learned that my anger is what I use to get away from all of that." I could feel the rage beginning to boil up in my palms, heating up my hands. Of course, anger wasn't my only way out, Katara happened to be another escape, somehow. I didn't quite understand it yet, but I felt like she was to be something so much more to me eventually. Unless my heart was just getting carried away with itself. Thinking of that cooled me down, and I was able to continue with what I was saying. I took a deep breath.

"But I can't always just get angry whenever I get down, you know? I don't like hurting people, especially the innocent. I may have once acted that way, but I only wanted to prove myself to my father and get my honor back. But I know now, honor means nothing with this man. So a lot of the times when I disappear, it's because I'm going to escape, and I blow up a few trees. It's not good, but I guess it is how I cope." My head hung low while admitting this all to Katara. I probably seemed unbelievably weak, and she would probably make fun of me for it. I'd never opened up so much to anyone and-  
My thoughts were interrupted by a tight hug from Katara. She had me pushed back against the pillows, her body on top of mine. For a second, I was shocked, and then I took it all in. Her smell, the feel of her body on mine, I fucking loved it.

After a few minutes of silence, Katara leaned up from on top of me and looked me directly in my eyes. She seemed worried about something, and it had me confused. Slowly, her head started to lean down towards mine again, only more towards my actual face. By instinct, my eyes closed, expecting a kiss, which I got. Katara gently pressed her lips to mine. They were still, but they were amazingly soft, just like last time. I could feel my entire body elevate with amazing feelings. My body felt like it was flying. I could imagine myself blushing if she could see my face right now. Her lips began to move against mine, everything about it still felt so astonishing. As her lips moved, so did her body. Her hands were now pressed on either side of my head, and her bottom half moved upon mine in a grinding motion. I could feel myself growing hard against her, and I hoped that she wouldn't notice. I mean, who couldn't help getting an erection with a beautiful woman on top kissing you?

I wanted to take things further than what we had ever done before. Nothing like sex, but something a bit more, energetic and filling. Lightly, I started to play with her bottom lip with my tongue, teasing it. I rubbed the tip of my tongue along the edge of her lip, which she soon granted me access to. My tongue was suddenly surrounded in warmth as I joined her in her mouth. Her tongue played with mine, we battled. Things were getting heated, and I was having a hard time keeping things going slow. But my body took over. I threw Katara next to me and pinned her down, grinding back into her as she'd done me. I forced my tongue into her mouth, which she accepted happily. I felt her hands slide up my back towards my neck, where she clung to my shoulder-length locks of hair. Her fingers entangled themselves in my hair and pulled. I couldn't help but groan into her mouth, and that's when I knew this had to stop.

I quickly pulled away, throwing myself off of her petite body, and sitting on the other side of the bed, facing away from Katara. I didn't know whether or not I should continue on with my "little" issue by myself, go further with Katara, or just go to sleep. But Katara made the decision for me. Her hand reached out to touch my shoulder, and my head turned towards her. Katara's fingers lightly tugged, telling me to turn fully back around.

"It's okay" she whispered, "I'm okay." I wanted to do this, but at the same time, there was a small part of me holding back from going all out. I only nodded and leaned back in to kiss her pursed, awaiting lips once more. Immediately, her hands crawled up my back and pulled me against her. We were both sitting on our knees facing each other, holding one another in a tight embrace. She kissed me with such an astounding passion, one which was still being held back a bit. But it was still a feeling I'd never felt before, even with Mae. Her teeth grabbed onto my bottom lip and tugged, leading me to want more. I wanted Katara, I wanted her bad. Just kissing was not enough, even though it already was plenty perfect. However, this was definitely not the time or place for something like this. If we ever went farther, it would be special as it is what such an astonishing woman deserves. I really did like Katara, and I could never use her in such a devious way. So I stopped it from continuing on, for good this time.

Grabbing Katara's face, I pushed her away gently. "Listen, you are magnificent and so beautiful. But I want every moment to be perfect, which wouldn't happen here." She nodded in understanding before kissing me once more, deeply.

"We should go to sleep Zuko." She whispered in my ear, still breathing heavy. I turned to look eye to eye with her, and I took a strand of hair in her face and tucked it behind her ear before softly kissing he reddened cheeks. I pulled away smiling.

* * *

 **A/N: Please leave me your reviews and thoughts! I also thought I should mention that I will be rewriting the story. Everything will still be the same, but written better. All of these chapter were written well over a year and a half ago lol. So for those of you who are disappointed with these short chapter, be prepared (;**


	9. Chapter 9: The Beach Part I

**Zuko POV**

There was a soft light coming in through the window, brightening my eyelids before I'd even opened them. Slowly, I peered into the view in front of me. A dimly lit room, with the sun shining brightly on the bed. I sat up and looked over to the petite sleeping form next to me. She is so beautiful, I thought.

Through my eyes, this woman looked like a goddess, she was a goddess. So stunning, impossibly sweet, and so very caring for everyone. A smile grew onto my cheeks as I continued to look down at her. At this time, her face was relaxed, and she looked more content than how I'd seen her in a long time. No stress concerned her face, no fear held her eyes. It was Katara in all her beauty.

A knock at the door distracted me. I removed the covers from my body and walked to grab my robe before opening the door.

"Good morning, Prince Zuko. We bring you your breakfast before we end our travels at Ember Island." The servant bowed before turning on her heel and walking back down the hallway from which she'd come. In my hands was a tray of delicious looking foods, making me feel starved as I just stood there.

"Zuko?" Katara yawned and stretched her arms as she sat up in the bed. I couldn't help but gleam with joy, sleeping beauty had woken up. And, once again, I was so influenced by her never-ending beauty. "Zuko." She said again, more sternly.

"Oh, sorry." I laughed off my small moment of embarrassment. I walked over to the bed, setting down the tray of food as I sat down across from her. Katara must've been starving, because as soon as the tray hit the bed, she was devouring an apple. She moaned in satisfaction as she sat chewing. The juices came out the corner of her mouth and ran down her chin. Gracefully, she swiped it away with her hand. I laughed at how much of a mess she was making. Looking down I saw a variety of fruits as well as some bread options, along with a small glass pitcher of juice. I tore a piece of the bread off and began to munch on that.

The moment of bliss in the early morning ended as urgent knocks to the door rang in my ears. Katara stopped chewing on her food and set down the apple nervously. I gave her a look of assurance that she was okay, then proceeded to open the door. Azula stood on the outside, not looking very pleasant. Then again, when was she ever pleased or happy?

"You looked like you slept well, Zuzu. We are leaving soon, and I wanted to check on you and your whore" Talking to Azula, especially first thing in the morning, was not something I particularly was so enthusiastic on doing. My fists became clenched as soon as she called Katara 'my whore'. That and she was suddenly eyeing Katara with a vile grin written on her face which held nothing but bad intentions, but she was nothing close to even being a whore; rape means no consent was given, and that's exactly what it had been. (*THIS IS THE AUTHOR SPEAKING, I'D JUST LIKE TO POINT OUT because this is for some reason such a controversial topic lately THAT IF SOMEONE DOES NOT WANT TO, IS UNCONSCIOUS, NOT SOBER, OR SAYS NO, THAT IS RAPE. THERE'S NO IF AND'S OR BUT'S. IT IS RAPE. Okay, continue.*) I wanted to yell at her and tell her that she is wrong, but I had to prove my loyalty. Not only that, my father expected that I was using Katara as a harem girl as it was the deal we made so I could make sure she was safe.

Speaking behind clenched teeth, I responded, "We are doing fine." Thankfully she didn't notice much of my anger as she was staring intently at Katara.  
"Well, I guess that's good. Maybe we can share her at some point on this wild vacation father has planned for us." She grinned again. I looked over to her and saw blunt fear in Katara's face; her eyes wouldn't tear away from Azula's. Azula laughed and then proceeded to walk away.

When I shut the door, I made sure to lock it and then went directly back to Katara in the bed. The closer to her I got, the more I realized how pale she was and that her eyes were watery. I knew something seriously sinister was going on in her head, but making sure she was okay mentally was my priority. Sitting on the bed, I pulled her into me and started to play with her hair. She was relaxing into me, yet still gripping onto my arm tightly. Her breathing quickly went from almost hyperventilating to calm breaths and slow lung movement. I kissed her forehead in the hopes I could soother her a bit more so that we could talk.

"Don't listen to Azula. You're not a whore. But what has you so shaken up?" I continued to pet her hair.

She took in a deep breath and replied,

"When I had first been kidnapped, Azula and other people had done very bad things to me. The type of things which claim your mind and torment you forever. She abused me in many ways before you took me in. If she ever got the chance to hurt me again, I know that she'd take it." Anger began to rise in me from the pit of my stomach. What exactly had Azula done to her which made her so fearful? My sister was definitely not a good person, but whatever she had done deeply affected Katara. It seemed like something which might take years to get over. Seeing her how I did proved that to me, and all that was shown on her face was a look of pure humility and terror.

"You don't ever have to worry about those things happening to you again. I promise, I won't let anyone hurt you Katara. You're safe with me." I hugged her tightly to me. I hoped that she felt safe with me, but because of how quickly she calmed down while I held her I was reassured. Never would anyone hurt or touch her in any foul way again.

* * *

 **Katara POV**

Azula frightened me more than a lot of things did, but I had to be strong as usual. My job was to put on a good show of being Zuko's slave and nothing bad would happen to either of us. Coming to Ember Island, even more far away from everyone, had me feeling somewhat empty. With Zuko's comfort, however, my body felt at ease, and I tried to stay calm instead of constantly remaining tense.

Once Azula had left us, there was much snuggling in his bed until we eventually got up to get off the ship. The island was very magnificent. It's beauty was vibrant, and the red fire nation symbols everywhere took the peace and innocence from the surrounding nature. We were still on the ship, almost getting off, and I noticed Ty Lee was leaning over the edge with Azula standing beside her.

"I'm so excited to spend the weekend on Ember Island! It's going to be great to hang out on the beach and do nothing." Ty Lee sighed and stared around her in awe.

"Doing nothing is a waste of time. We're being sent away on a forced vacation; I feel like a child." Zuko seemed really unamused by Ty Lee. Then Azula spoke.

"So Dad wants his to meet with his advisors alone, without anyone else around. Don't take it personally." She didn't acknowledge my presence. I hated how she spoke and walked around like she hadn't sexually assaulted me. Ty Lee didn't seem to care even if she did know. Her being friends with Azula surprised me more than anything, though. Azula did/does awful and such terrible things to people. How could anyone even want to be near her?

Zuko shrugged off her response and we walked off of the ship. As soon as I stepped into the sand I wanted to rip off my shoes and run into the ocean behind me. It reminded me of all the fun times we'd had when my friends and I were altogether. In remembering that, it reminded me that even when life is inconveniently stressful you can still allow positivity into your soul. That was exactly what I intended to do if Zuko and I happened to get a chance alone. Hearing the waves overlap behind us was such a mesmerizing sound with how much I had been inside and kept away recently. The very sound of the water crashing against the shoreline made me happy inside, a happiness which I unwantedly had to put away deep down.

Two old voices interrupted my thoughts briefly, "Welcome to Ember Island, kids." There were two older women standing before us. They looked alike; most likely twins. Zuko whispered in my ear that their names were Lo and Li.

They led us towards a beach house. It was bigger inside than expected, and held many rooms. I hoped mine and Zuko's was the farthest away from Azula.  
"It smells like old lady in here." Zuko commented. I chuckled at his words as he glanced around the room, taking in the scene before him.

"Gee, I wonder why." Mai appeared suddenly. Jealousy spiked up inside me as I watched her smile at Zuko. But did I have that right to be jealous? Zuko and I were not official, and had also never confirmed anything regarding our relationship. It made me a little insecure, but I knew I couldn't let these negative feelings get to me. WIth how Zuko had been treating me lately, I assumed he wouldn't run off with Mai to leave me behind. It wasn't in his character, nor his nature.

Mai walked away to a room as we walked towards another. "It looks like the beach threw up all over it." I did not miss Mai's condescending self. She was always complaining or whining about something. Then again, she didn't know suffering as far as I knew.

Li and Lo began to speak in turns behind us,

"We know you're upset that you were forced to come here this weekend,"

"But Ember Island is a magical place. Keep an open mind; give it a chance."

"And it can help you understand yourselves and each other."

"The beach has a special way,"

"Of smoothing even the most ragged edges." As Li spoke this, she rubbed a seashell in her palm to influence their speech.

"Time to hit the beach!" Li had set down the seashell as they both dropped their robes. Let me tell you now, it was not a pleasant sight to see telling by the look painted across Zuko's face.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry about another short chapter. I am in the process of rewriting the story, as I said in my last update, and as soon as I finish rewriting all 9 chapters, I will repost them with a 10th chapter. It might take me about a month, so until I update again, I hope you guys have Happy Holidays! I might be able to finish before Christmas, but there's a lot going on daily, it's really hard for me to get time in to write.**

 **I love you all! Please leave reviews on what you think of this chapter, and let me know if you're excited for my rewritten chapters! They will have the same plot and such, but written better compared to my writing from my 16 year old self 3 years ago haha.**


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